Right In Front of You
by leighannieee
Summary: She's stuck in an abusive relationship with her boyfriend. She finds a friend in the 'ayotolla of rock n rolla'. can he sweep her off her feet or not? MariaxJericho.
1. First Time Encounter

**A/N: Hey people! I'm starting a new story. Well, obviously, you can see that. But I just wanna see more JerichoxMaria stories! I also kinda wanna see where this story goes, and how many reviews I get about it. If you review, tell me if I should keep this story and continue it. Please and thank you! ENJOY!**

_**Italics represent thoughts.**_** I don't own anything.**

**Chapter 1: First Time Encounter**

Maria was walking through the halls of arena after her match with Melina. All of a sudden, she meets the floor.

"What the…" Maria mumbled to herself.

"Are you okay?" a man asked.

Maria looked up to see the man. She looked up at his well-chiseled body, his muscles, and then his handsome face.

"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks." She managed to say, awestruck by the man in front of her. The man offered her a hand. She gladly took it and got on her feet.

"Uhm, thank you." She said sheepishly.

"No problem, ms…" he said, waiting for a name.

"Kanellis. Maria Kanellis." She said.

"Maria. I saw your match earlier. You're good." The man said.

"Thank you…" she replied, waiting to learn his name.

"Jericho. Chris Jericho." He said.

"Thank you Chris." She said.

"Like I said, no problem. See ya." Chris said.

He left her. His figure getting smaller and smaller, and soon disappeared from her sight. Maria sighed and continued on her way to the Women's locker room. She opened the door and sat down on a bench.

"Hey ria. What's up?"

"Hey ash. Nothing really. I just made a complete fool of myself on the way here." Maria said glumly.

"How?" the punk princess asked.

"After my match. I was on my way here. Then, I tripped on something and fell on the floor in front of…" she stopped herself before continuing. "somebody."

"Who?" Ashley asked, intrigued by the brunette's story.

"No one. Never mind."

"Riaaaa! Please tell me." Ashley begged.

Maria sighed. "Chris Jericho." She blushed.

"Aww! You're red like a tomato! You _so_ like him!" Ashley teased.

"Shut up! You know I'm with Santino." The brunette said playfully.

"Oh c'mon ria. You know you deserve better than him! He's waaay to clingy!" Ashley said.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

Ashley gets up to answer the door, and she wasn't pleased to see who it was.

"See! This totally proves my point!" Ashley said.

There he was. Santino Marella.

"Mareeuh! Can you hurry up? You need to give me my massage for my match tonight against that KYJ or J2C. I need to teach him a lesson!" Santino said.

"But I—" Maria started out to say but Santino grabs her arm and pulls her away.

"C'mon Mareeuh! I do not have all day!" he said.

"But I— Ash— I'll see you tonight." Maria said as she reluctantly followed her boyfriend.

_I wish she could see what he's like toward her. Why does she put up with him? HOW does she put up with him? I hope she sees how badly he treats her. _Ashley thought.

The time came for Santino's match. Santino and Maria was already in the ring, Santino waiting for his opponent to come out.

_You know I got ya_

_Yeah, break the walls down_

'Y2J' Chris Jericho came out. The fans were cheering for him and holding up their signs. _Him… _Maria thought. Chris saw her with Santino. _That's who his girlfriend is? Maria? She's way to good for that loser._ Chris shook his head and his thoughts of her. He got into the ring while Maria watched ringside.

DING! DING! DING!

The match started. They squared off against each other. Chris was able to put Santino in an arm bar. Chris let go and put Santino on one of the corners. He punched away at Santino until the ref counted to 

four. Chris backed off. Santino was able to still balance himself on his feet but Chris was going to change that. Chris delivered Santino a dropkick to the ace. Santino just laid there on his back. Chris introduced Santino to the oh so famous Lionsault. He stood Santino up and gave him his new move, the codebreaker, which was two knees to the face. He went fir the pin. 1…2…3…

DING! DING! DING!

"Here is your winner, 'Y2J' Chris Jericho!" Lilian announced through the mic.

Chants of 'Y2J' filled the arena. Maria stood ringside still because Santino was still laid out. She was scared Chris night try something. Chris received a mic from a crew member.

"Yeah baby! Y2J is back! I officially welcome you to, RAW is Jerichooo! Now, I wanna introduce my assistant, Sancheeko. Oh, wait, Santaco. Well, whatever this guy's name is." Eh said gesturing to Santino who was still laid out. "I woud also like to introduce," he started out to saw when he slid out of the ring to bring Maria in the ring with him. "The future playboy cover girl, the lovely Maria." He said as he winked at her. She giggled. "Now, back to business. I wanna show you, the fans, and the Jerichoholics, my new move. The codebreaker. Monkeys! Replay!" Jericho said. They rolled the clip and replayed it twice. The second in slow motion. "Now, let's talk about you, Maria. I understand that you are revealing your playboy cover next week on RAW?" Chris asked.

She spoke into his mic. "Yes I am and I'm very excited."

"All of us are! Well, I look forward to see you in play—" he was interrupted.

"Enough! No more talk of my Mareeuh in this, playboy magazine. Come Mareeuh. Let us leave this KYJ or whatever your name is." Santino said.

Santino and his 'Mareeuh' disappeared backstage. RAW went to commercial. Chris went backstage to find HER. Thankfully, she wasn't with HIM.

"Hey Maria. You did great." Chris said.

"Oh, Uhm, thanks. You too." She said.

"Thanks, well, hey, are you going to the club tonight?" he asked, hoping for a 'yes'.

"Yeup. Are you? Randy invited me. He said it was for some occasion but I didn't quite catch what it was." She said.

"Well, actually, its for me." Chris chuckled.

"Oh, really? What's the occasion?" she asked, feeling stupid for being out of the loop.

"My return to RAW. You know Randy. He would take any excuse to go clubbing." Chri said.

She giggled. "Well, welcome back Chris." She said with a warm smile.

"Thanks, well, I'll see you at the club then." He said.

"Yeah. You will. Buh-bye Chris." She said.

He looked at her figure walking away from him. She was so beautiful , her beautiful green eyes, her cute laugh, her sweet smile… "No way she's dating that pathetic excuse of a boyfriend." He mumbled to himself.

**A/N: I hope you guys liked it! Please tell me what you think!**


	2. The Beginning of a Friendship

**A/N: Thanks to those who reviewed! You guys are awesome!**

_**Italics represent thoughts.**_** I don't own anything.**

**Chapter 2: The Beginning of a Friendship**

"Maria! C'mon! We're leaving now!" Mickie said.

"I'm coming!" Maria yelled back.

Maria looked at herself in the mirror. She was pleased with what she was wearing. She was wearing a black dress that ended right above her knees, the dress showed her cleavage so she wore a silver studded bra under it. The bra was peeking through at the top of the dress. She had on black inch heels. Her makeup consisted of eyeliner and mascara. Her hair was let down after she had flat-ironed it. "Perfect." She said with a smile. She proceeded to where Mickie was. "You ready?" Mickie asked. "Of course." Maria answered. The two brunettes linked arms and were on their way to meet up with the other superstars and divas.

"Hey ladies!" Melina exclaimed.

"Hey mel!" Maria said.

"We did great earlier!" Melina said.

"I know!" Maria said.

"C'mon guys! Get inside the limo!" Mickie said.

"Coming!" Melina and Maria said in unison.

They got inside the limo and they were on their way to the club. In a matter of minutes, they were told that they were already at there destination. They got out of the limo and proceeded inside the club. Candice, Ashley, Mickie and Melina went straight to the dance floor. Maria sat at the bar, drinking a bloody mary. She sighed.

"C'mon ria!" Candice said as she pulled Maria.

"Candy!" Maria complained.

"Nope! I'm not hearing it! You are going to dance and have fun!" Candice demanded.

Maria shrugged her shoulders. She knows Candice won't change her mind. She followed Candice through the dance floor. She was soon greeted by the other red roster divas. They were dancing to 'Damaged' by Danity Kane.

_Baby, baby, this situation's driving me crazy_

_And I really wanna be your lady_

_But the one before you left me so_

The divas danced to the next five songs. After the fifth song ended, Maria went to go sit at the bar. She was just finishing her third bloody mary of the night when she noticed a certain somebody sitting by themselves at the other end of the bar. She crept up behind him.

"Hey stranger." She said as she took a seat next to him.

He seemed to jump a bit. "Hey Maria."

"What's wrong Chris?" she asked.

"Nothing. Why?"

"Well, you're sitting here by yourself at a club when everyone's here for your return." She said matter of factly.

He chuckled. "I'm not sitting by myself."

Maria made a playful roll of the eyes.

"Well, you will be now." She said as she turned around, stood up, and was about to walk away when something warm touched her hand. She looked and she saw it was Chris's hand.

"Stay. Talk." He simply stated.

She looked at his hand on hers and back at him. She sat down next to him.

"Alright Chris. What do you wanna talk about?" Maria said.

"Let's talk about you." He said.

"Okay. What about me?" she asked.

"Well, how's the playboy cover girl life treating you?" he asked.

"It's been so crazy. But its fun. I mean, out of every other woman and they chose me." Maria said.

"Well, they made a good choice." Chris said with a smile.

"Thanks." She said.

"So, where's your boyfriend?" he suddenly asked.

She was surprised at him asking that. "Uhm, he's not here."

"Oh, why?" he asked.

"Well, he doesn't like going anywhere with my friends." She confessed.

"Why? Is he too good or something?" he said.

"Well, they don't really approve of him. They say I deserve better." She sighed.

He saw the pain in her eyes.

"C'mon." he said, grabbing one of her hands.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

He stood up and led her to the dance floor.

"Dancing." He said with a grin.

"But people told me you never dance!"she said.

"Well, for you, I'll make an exception."

They started dancing to 'Whoa' by Paramore.

_And we got every body singing_

_Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa_

_We got every body singing_

_Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa_

After the song ended, they sat down at the bar again.

"You're not bad. I don't see why you don't dance!" Maria said.

He chuckled. "You should feel happy. Not every woman could have the chance to dance with Chris Jericho." He said with a smirk.

"Oh, of course! I feel so happy!" she played along.

"That's right gorgeous! No one can resist me! I'm a sexy beast!" he exclaimed.

"Yes Chris! And do you wanna know what I'm going to do?" she says in a seductive voice.

Chris was grinning. "What are you going to do gorgeous?" he said in his own seductive voice.

"Go to the bathroom." She said laughing.

"The bathroom? Damn gorgeous! You want me so bad, you can't wait 'til we get to the hotel room can you?"

She raised her hands in defense. "Yup. You caught me!"

"Baby, if you want me, just tell me! Chris said.

"Oh, okay Chris. I want you…" she seductively said. "to dance with me!" she exclaimed.

Chris made a playful roll of the eyes. He followed her to the dance floor. They started dancing.

* * *

"Hey guys! Look over there!" Ashley said, pointing to the dancing couple.

"Is that ria?" Candice asked.

"With Chris Jericho? Dancing? He never dances!" Mickie said.

"They look like they're having fun!" Candice exclaims.

"Maybe he'll sweep her off her feet and she'll break up with Santino." Melina said hopefully.

"Maybe. Ria looks like she's having so much fun." Ashley said.

"Yeah. She looks happy. Anyways, she's going to see us!" Melina said. An idea struck her right then and there. "Ladies, I have a plan. Call Randy, John, and Jeff over here." She told them her plan.

"Mel…That's perfect." Was all Mickie could say.

"Showtime people!" Ashley said.

It was time to put the plan in action.

* * *

"Chris! Do not do that again! I _so_ don't know you if you do!" Maria said.

"What? I'm trying to get my groove back!" Chris shrugged.

"Chris, I hate to break it to you…but…you never had one in the first place." Maria teased.

"Hey! Take that back!" he said.

He grabbed Maria and started tickling her non-stop.

"Okay! Okay! I take it back!" she said in between laughs.

"Good." He said and stopped.

"Ria! There you are!" Mickie exclaimed from behind.

"Hey Micks! What's up?"

"I wanted to tell you that all of us are going to another club. You in?" Mickie said.

"Uh no. I don't think so. I'm beat. You guys can go though." Maria assured.

"Oh. Well, can you get a ride with someone back to the hotel?" Mickie asked.

"Uhh I don't know…"

_C'mon Chris. Jump in any time now. Offer her a ride back…C'mon Chris! _Mickie thought.

As if he read her thoughts, he interrupted.

"I can give you a ride back." He said.

"Perfect! Thanks Chris! Bye guys!" Mickie said quickly.

With that, she left the brunette and the 7 time intercontinental champion.

"Well, I guess I'm catching a ride with you." Maria said.

"Yeup. Do you wanna hang out in the backseat for a while?" he said with a wink.

She laughed. "I'll pass." Maria said with a roll of the eyes.

"Your loss." He said with a shrug.

"Do you mind if we leave now?" Maria asked.

"Sure. Let's roll." Chris said.

They went to the parking lot and got into Chris's rental car. The hotel was 20 minutes away, but time felt as if it was going so fast. The two talked about random things and occasionally, the awkward silence filled the car, but soon disappeared.

"We're here!" Chris exclaimed.

"Yes! I'm so tired!" Maria said.

Chris walked Maria to her and Santino's hotel room. She slid in her card key and opened the door. She was greeted by an angry Santino.

"Uhm, thanks Chris." She said awkwardly.

"No problem. See ya Maria. Santino." He said.

"Yes. Thank you Mr. Y2J. You may leave now." Santino said.

_Stupid Santino. Swear to god, I wish I could beat the shit out of him._ Chris thought as he walked to his hotel room.

"So, Mr. Y2J gave you a ride back here, is it?" the Italian said.

"Santino, it was nothing!" Maria said.

A sharp stinging pain was now upon her cheek. A single tear escaped her eyes and slid down her red, stinging cheek. _No, not again..._

**A/N: hope you liked it! Please R&R!**


	3. Hiding the Pain

**A/N: Thanks to those who reviewed! You guys are awesome! I would like more reviews! I like reviews. :). and to those who have this story on alert and don't review, I would like more reviews. WINK WINK! I hope you like this chapter! Its pretty long! Well, to me. R&R!**

_**Italics represent thoughts.**_** I don't own anything.**

**Chapter 3: Hiding the Pain**

She sat in the bathroom with her legs to her chest, leaning on the closed door. Many tears fell down her cheeks. She stood up and looked at herself in the mirror. She was sporting a black eye, busted lip, and multiple bruises on her arms. She looked at her phone. 3:37AM. She laid down in the tub. Soon, she cried herself to sleep.

"_Santino! It was nothing!" Maria said._

_He slapped her across the face_

"_Nothing?! Why were you with that Y2J person?" he shouted._

"_He just gave me a ride back!" she yelled back._

_He slapped her again, except even harder. She rubbed her cheek and winced from the pain._

"_Do not raise your voice at me woman!"_

"_Santino, I—"_

"_No! I do not want to hear it! Are you cheating on me?!" he yelled._

"_No! Santino, I would never—"_

_He punched her in the face and she fell to the floor. "Do not lie to me!" he yelled as he continued beating her. "Stop. Stop. Stop!"_

She woke up, breathing heavily. She got up and went to the mirror. "I need to get some ice for this black eye." She muttered. She looked at her phone. 8:27AM. she quietly opened the bathroom door. She looked at the bed. _Thank god he's still sleeping. _She thought. She opened the hotel door and walked down the hallway.

* * *

He closed the door to his hotel room. He carried his gym bag and was on his way to the elevator. He stopped in his tracks when he saw HER. She was getting ice from the ice machine and she brought the ice to her eye. _I wonder what happened._

"Hey Maria!" he said.

She turned to see him. She immediately started to walk away from him. He ran to catch up with her.

"Hey. What's wrong?" he asked as he touched her arms.

She winced from the pain. "Nothing Chris. I'm fine." She stated, facing away from him.

"C'mon Maria. Let me see that gorgeous face of yours." He said.

She turned to face him. Rage filled his whole body.

"Where's Santino?! Where is that son of a bitch?!" he snarled.

"Chris! Calm down! It wasn't him!" she said.

"Well then who did this to you?!" he asked.

"I was outside walking when some man tried to take my purse. I struggled back and he mugged me." She lied.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes." She said.

"Do you want me to take you to the hospital?" he asked.

"No. I'm fine." She said.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." She insisted.

"Okay then. But if you need anything, just call, okay?"

"Yeah, I will. Thanks Chris." She said.

With that, she walked back to her hotel room. _I don't buy her story one bit. If I find out its Santino...oh boy…_ he thought.

* * *

She went inside the hotel room. She grabbed her makeup bag and went inside the bathroom, closing the door behind her. After 30 minutes, she was successful. Her black eye and her bruises were covered up and unnoticeable. Her lip was still pretty banged up but she could live with it. _The questions about the lip, I could handle, but the black eye and bruises? No way…_ she thought.

_You better hold on tight_

_I'm gonna love you nice_

She picked up her phone.

"Hey ash." She said.

"Ria. You coming to breakfast?" the punk diva asked.

"Yeah." she replied.

"Okay then. Come down now! We're already here!" Mickie exclaimed from the phone.

"Tell everyone I'll be there in 10." Maria said.

She hung up the phone. She changed into green Victoria's Secret sweats, a pink Victoria's Secret tank top, a green Victoria's secret hoodie, and white adidas. She put up her hair in a messy bun. She grabbed her purse and she went downstairs. She exited the elevator and proceeded to the breakfast café. She looked around and soon saw Ashley, Mickie, Melina, Candice, Chris, Jeff, Randy, and John sitting at a table. She walked up to them.

"Hey." She said.

"Hey." They all said.

"Uhm, Chris, can I talk to you?" Maria asked.

"Sure." He said.

He got up out of his seat and went somewhere more private.

"Uh, Chris? Can you not tell anybody about me being pretty banged up?" she asked.

"I won't. But are you sure you're okay?" he asked.

"Yes Chris. I'm fine. It's amazing what makeup can do." She laughed.

He chuckled. "Well c'mon gorgeous. John ordered pancakes for all of us. Whether we like it or not."

Maria giggled. "Yummy! C'mon!" she exclaimed.

She went back to the table, followed by Chris. She took a seat between Chris and Melina. They ate their breakfast and had a few laughs.

"Ria, what happened to your lip?" Randy asked.

"Huh? Oh. It's nothing. Don't worry about it." She said.

"Oookaayyy…so what do you guys wanna do today?" Candice asked.

"I don't know." Mickie said.

"How bout we hit the pool?" Ashley suggested.

"Great idea babe. I'm in." John said.

"Me too!" Melina said.

They all agreed to go.

"What about you ria?" Ashley asked.

"I think I'll pass. I'm gonna go to the gym." Maria stated.

She knew she couldn't go to the pool no matter how much she wanted to. Not with these bruises and black eye. She didn't want to take the risk of revealing the black aye and bruises.

"Okay then." Candice said in a singsongy voice.

"I'm gonna head there now. Anyone wanna join me?" Maria asked as she got up out of her seat.

She heard nothing.

"Fine. I'll see you guys later." Maria said.

The green eyed brunette left the table and went to the elevator.

* * *

"Does anybody know what's wrong with ria? She was so quiet." Candice said.

"I know. Usually she would be talking up a storm. She's not as bubbly and energetic as she usually is either. Something has to be up." Melina said.

"Chris, you were with her yesterday. Did she seem off to you?" Mickie asked.

_Yeah, that stupid son of a bitch Santino beat her. But I can't say that! I promised her! And I don't even have proof that he did!_ "No. She seemed fine." He lied.

"Well, she's probably going to be fine. You know ria. She'll be back to normal by tomorrow." Randy said.

"C'mon, let's go to the pool now." Jeff said.

The group went to their own rooms and put on their swimming attire. They met up at the pool. The guys were already there.

"You ladies look great." Jeff said.

"Why, thank you Mr. Hardy." Candice said playfully.

"May I escort you to the pool?" Jeff asked.

"Yes, you may." Candice replied.

The two jumped into the pool, splashing everybody in the process.

"Jeff!"

"Candy!"

"Yes?" the two said, acting innocent.

The rest of the group joined them in the pool. They were in the pool for about a good 20 minutes. "I'm gonna check how Maria's doing." Chris said out of nowhere.

The group looked at each other. "Uhm, okay. Tell her we said hi." Ashley said.

"Will do. I'll see you guys later." Chris said.

* * *

He got out of the pool and grabbed a towel from the cabana. He grabbed his card key and put on the wife beater he brought down. He got into the elevator and went to the third floor, where the gym was located. He found Maria on the treadmill. He crept up behind her.

"Hey gorgeous." He said from behind.

No response. "Hellooo? Are you mad at— " he stopped midsentence as he noticed that the brunette was listening to her iPod. He chuckled at himself. He stood in front of her and waved at her. She turned off the treadmill and took out her earphones from her ears.

"Hey Chris!" se said, out of breath.

"Good workout?" he asked.

"Yeah!" she exclaimed after she took a sip of her water.

"Tired?"

"Yes!"

He laughed.

"What's so funny?" she asked, raising one of her eyebrows at him.

"How tired you look." He said with a smirk.

"Shut up! I wanted to see what the fastest speed was and if I could keep up." She said.

He chuckled. "Okay. C'mon. Let's sit. It looks like you need to." He said.

The two sat down.

"So what are you doing here?" she asked curiously.

"I wanted to grace you with my presence." He said.

She giggled a bit. "Oh my, I feel as if I died and went to heaven! I can't believe it!"

"Oh, you can believe it baby!" he exclaimed.

She laughed. "Okay, can we stop now? I threw up in my mouth a bit." She said in a joking matter.

"Alright, fine. So, how you holding up?"he asked, referring to her bruises.

"I'm fine." She said with a smile.

He looked at her confused.

"What?" she questioned.

"Its just that…how could you be all cheery and happy after what happened?" he asked.

Her smile began to fade a bit. "I don't know. I just think about the good things I have."

"Like?"

"Well, I have my job. My family…my friends…uhm…my…damn. What else?" she asked herself.

"Your boyfriend?" he assumed.

Her smile disappeared from her face. "Oh…yeah."

"Hey, is something wrong?" he asked.

"Nope." She said, forcing a smile.

"You know you can trust me right?" he said.

"Yeah. I know." She said.

_Should I tell him? I mean, he already saw me…he seems like he really cares…if I tell him, he might hurt Santino and then Santino might hurt me… _

"Maria? Hellooo? You there?" he said, waving his hand in front of her face.

"What?" she asked, returning from her thoughts.

"You know that I wont judge you either?"

"Yes Chris, I know."

"And you know—"

"Chris, where are you going with this?"

"I just want you to know that if you need help, just talk to me okay?" he said.

"Okay Chris." She said with a smile, trying to hide her pain…

**A/N: I hope you guys liked this one! Please R&R!**


	4. Truth

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for the delay! My dad completely wiped out all the stuff on the computer. Damn it! I was almost finishing the stories! Darn…Hope I didn't lose any readers!! Please read and review!!**

**Chapter 4: Truth**

"Hey ria! Are you excited?" Candice asked as she got ready for the playboy cover revealing.

"Yeah! I am—"

KNOCK! KNOCK!

Maria went to get the door.

"Yes?" she said.

"Stephanie wants to see you in her office." The crew member said.

"Okay thanks." She said with a smile.

"Who was it?" Candice asked.

"Someone. Candy, I'll be back later." She said.

"Okay."

Maria exited the women's locker room. As she was walking, she was happy that the cuts and bruises she had received from Santino were gone. She knocked on the door to Steph's office. "Come in!" a faint voice said. She opened the door and was surprised to see Chris there. He smile at her and she smiled back. "So, you are probably wondering why you're here." Stephanie assumed.

"Yeah." The two said.

"Okay, the creative team wrote something up really good. Maria, tonight, your romantic storyline with Santino is done. He's gonna wreck your playboy promo and that's gonna be the last straw for you. You are going to break up with him. Then, on next week's RAW, Regal is gonna feel bad for you, so he's gonna do a second edition of the dating game with new contestants. The contestants are going to be one superstar from each brand." Steph continued to tell them both the storyline. "So, that's how you two are going to end up in a romantic storyline."

"Uhm. Okay." Maria said, trying to take it all in.

"So, any questions?" Steph asked.

"Nope."

"No."

"Alright then. I'll see you guys later." Steph said.

The two exited the billion dollar princess's office. They both decided to go to catering.

"So guess what?" Maria said excitedly.

"What?" Chris asked.

"I'm happy to announce that I'm all better!" she exclaimed with a smile.

"That's great!" he said.

"I know!"

"So, what are you doing tonight?" he asked.

"Uhm, nothing so far. Why?" she asked.

"Well, Randy and them asked if we wanna go to John's hotel room and watch some movies."

"That's awesome! I'm so in. You're going right?"

"Yeah." He replied.

"So, do you—" she was interrupted.

"Maria, you're needed on gorilla." A crew member said as he passed by.

"Okay, thank you!" she called out.

"So, you ready?"

"Yup! Walk me to gorilla?" she asked as she gave him those puppy dog pout and eyes.

"How could I say no to a face like that?" he said.

They linked arms and walked to gorilla position and had a good conversation on the way there. When they reached gorilla, they saw Candice already there, talking to Ashley.

"Hello!" Maria beamed.

"Hey ria! Hey Chris!" the two divas said.

"Hello ladies. I'll see you later. I gotta get ready for my match."

"Bye Chris!" Maria said.

Chris left the three playboy cover girls.

"Ria! Are you excited?" Ashley asked.

"Yeah!" Maria exclaimed.

Her music started to play. "I'll talk to you later ash."

Maria did her usual entrance as she was accompanied by Candice. The two playboy cover girls proceeded inside the ring.

"Hello all you stars and studs! Are you ready to see my playboy cover?!" Maria says into the microphone.

The fans cheer loudly.

"Alright! Here it is!" Maria exclaims.

She unveils her cover and the fans cheer like crazy. Soon, Santino's music starts playing. He comes into the ring and grabbed Maria's microphone right out of her hand.

"Mareeuh! How can you expose yourself like this? Its…its…well, I do not know what is it is but, it's bad. Very bad Mareeuh. Come now!" he said as he grabbed Maria's arm.

"No Santino! I'm not going anywhere with you! This is the last straw! Santino…we are OVER." She proclaimed.

"What?! Mareeuh! You have obviously taken some crazy pills! Probably Candice Michelle gave them to you huh?" he said as he gave Candice a dirty look.

"Santino! No! I made this decision on my OWN. We're over."

Candice and Maria got out of the ring and left an angry Santino in the ring. When the two divas reached backstage, Candice gave her a huge hug.

"Uhm. What was that for?" Maria asked, confused.

"Well, you broke up with Santino! Now just do it in reality." Candice replied with a grin on her face.

Maria sighed. "Candy…"

"Fine. Changing the subject…Let's go change for movie night." Candice suggested.

"Alright. Let's go." Maria replied.

The two divas proceeded to the women's locker room. There, was Ashley, Melina, and Mickie all ready to go.

"There you guys are! Hurry up! John and them are waiting on us!" Ashley exclaimed.

"Alright! Damn ash!" Candice said laughing.

Maria and Cnadice quickly changed. Maria changed into grey baggy sweats, a pink tank top with a black hoodie over it, and black sneakers. She had applied light make up and put her hair in a messy bun. Candice was wearing her reed pjs and a red tank to match as well. She had on pink uggs and put her hair in a ponytail.

"Candy, are you serious?" Ashley questioned.

"What? We're not going anywhere cept for the hotel." Candice pointed out.

"Her pjs are cute ash! And you have to admit she's right." Mickie replied.

"True." Melina said.

"Can we go now?" Maria asked.

"Okay!" the divas exclaimed.

* * *

"Dude, where's your girlfriend and her friends?" Randy complained.

"Jeez Randy, it's only been, like, 10 minutes." Jeff pointed out.

"Well sorry! God, you know—" Randy was interrupted.

"Complaining again are we Randy?" Mickie said as the divas approached the superstars.

"What?! You try waiting for divas like you girls!" Randy said.

"What?! FYI, I do!" Mickie snapped.

"You know what—"

"Guys! Please don't start this again." Melina complained.

"God. You two are like little kids when you fight!" John said.

"Can we go now?" Chris spoke.

"Yeah, as long as the two kids stop fighting." Maria said as she glared at the two.

"Fine." The two mumbled.

"Goodie!" Maria exclaimed with a smile.

The group packed into the car, Chris driving and Randy in the passenger's seat. Chris occasionally almost lost control of the wheel because he caught sight of HER laughing and giggling in the rear view mirror. They reached the hotel after a few 10 minutes. They each got out of the car and they proceeded to John's hotel room. John popped in the movie into the DVD player. Mickie, Melina, Candice, and Jeff each sat cross-legged on the floor and Chris, Maria, Ashley, and John sat on the couch. While Randy was making popcorn, the group was watching an episode of Law & Order Special Victims Unit. The episode was about a 20 something year old woman was being physically and sexually abused by her boyfriend. Maria's eyes were focused on the screen. Her eyes became watery. She was fighting hard to keep herself from 

breaking down in front of her friends. Her lip was quivering. Candice noticed as she heard small cries.

"Hey girls? Come with me to the little girls' room?" Candice asked.

"Sure." They all said.

_Note to self. Thank Candy._

Maria, Candice & the rest of the ladies stood up and went to the bathroom. When they all reached the bathroom, Candice immediately shut the door.

"Ria, what's up with you?" Candice asked.

"What? What are you talking about?" Maria said.

"When that lady was getting hit on TV, I could hear you whimpering." Candice stated.

Melina, Mickie, and Ashley stared at the two divas, so interested in the conversation.

Maria was silent.

"Ria! Come on! You can tell us! We're your best friends!"

Maria burst out in tears and fell to her knees. Instinctively, the divas got on the floor, trying to calm down their friend.

"Ria. Please tell us." Melina pleaded.

"Nuh uh." Maria said, shaking her head.

"Please. We cant help you if you don't tell us."

"Santino…hitting…bruises…me…" was all the girls could understand from Maria.

They put two and two together and figured it out.

"Since when?" Ashley asked.

"A few months after we started dating." Maria said as she wiped away her tears.

"Who else—"

KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Hurry up! I need to go! And bad!" Randy shouted from the other side of the bathroom door.

"Randy! Stop! Maria's hav—" Candice wasn't able to finish.

Maria lunged at Candice and put her hand over Candice's mouth. Candice pushed Maria off of her.

"Ria!" Candice said.

"Candy! All of you! You guys can't tell anybody! At all!" Maria demanded.

"Why not?" Mickie asked.

"Because! Just please. Promise me…"

"Alright. Fine ria. Just promise US that you'll do something about it." Melina said.

"Yeah. I will." Maria said.

"Hurry up!" Randy shouted.

"We better go before Rands has a little accident." Ashley said.

The girls ran out of the bathroom and apologized to Randy as they passed him. They returned to their previous sitting spots.

"Why do girls always have to go to the bathroom together?" Chris asked.

"Why?" Maria asked.

"I just wanna know." Chris answered.

"Nothing you need to know about." Maria said with a grin.

Chris groaned. "Why not?" he whined.

"Do you really wanna know?" Candice asked as she winked at Maria.

"Uh huh."

"Well…" Maria started out.

"We have…fun…in there." Candice continued.

Maria tried hard not to laugh.

"What kinda fun?" Jeff asked, joining the conversation.

"Use your imagination." Maria said with a grin.

"And that's for us to know. And for you to find out." Candice said with a grin of her own.

Chris and Jeff looked at each other confused. "Ohhhhhh!" Jeff and Chris said in unison.

"Are you lying to us?" Chris questioned.

"You'll never find out will ya Y2J?" Maria said with a grin.

Randy walks in.

"Alright! Let's start the movie!" Randy said.

John pressed play on the DVD remote control. They watched a variety of movies that night. They all slept in John's room and Maria was the first one to wake up. She looked at all her friends and smiled a bit when she saw John and Ashley sleeping comfortably together on one side of the couch. She sighed. _I wish I had a relationship like that. _It just hit her. _Oh shit! Santino!_ She grabbed her stuff and started to run for the hotel door. As she was running, she accidentally knocked over an empty bowl on Chris's foot, which was hanging off the sofa. She closed her eyes tightly. _Please don't let him wake up. Please don't let him wake up. Please don't let him wake up. _She repeatedly thought in her head. He groaned and shifted a bit. "Yes!" Maria said, a little bit too loudly. She quickly placed her hand over her mouth to stop herself from saying something else. She examined everyone to see if they were woken up. Thankfully, all of them were still fast asleep. She quietly left the room and went to her and Santino's hotel room. She slid in her card key and opened the door. She wasn't prepared for what she was about to see.

"Oh my god!" Maria yelled with a disgusted look on her face.

**A/N: I hope you guys liked this chappy! Pls R&R! omg. I wonder what Maria saw…hmm… ;)**


	5. A Savior

**Chapter 5: A Savior**

"Oh my god!" Maria yelled with a disgusted look on her face.

Santino had a surprised look on his face. He was in a, uhm, sexual position with a girl unfamiliar to Maria.

"Mareeuh! It's not what it seems!" he tried to explain.

"Not what it seems?! You're cheating on me! And Santino, if you're gonna cheat on me, at least get a pretty girl! Santino, we are so _OVER_!" she fumed, trying to hold in her tears.

"But Mareeuh--"

He wasn't able to finish. She slammed the door and walked away and headed to the elevator. She pressed the down button for the elevator. The elevator finally came and she stepped inside. As soon as the doors closed, she broke down. She was crying uncontrollably. PING! The door opened and she looked up, expecting to see the lobby. Instead, she saw a concerned Chris Jericho, looking at her. He quickly went to hug her and try to comfort and help her.

"Calm down Maria. What happened?" he asked in a soft tone as he hugged her.

"I caught Santino cheating on me…" she mumbled, her face buried in his chest.

He was speechless… he couldn't find any words to say…but he could surely do something about. He knew the next time he sees Santino, he would give him a beating of a lifetime. He hugged her tighter, hoping that she would never leave his arms. PING! They arrived at the lobby… Maria stepped out first, with Chris following. Maria looked around, nothing in particular. She would look at anything except Chris. _He probably thinks that I'm weak for crying about Santino. He's probably thinking, "this girl is so dumb for falling for a guy who would obviously cheat on her."_ she thought as she wiped away her tears. Chris was concerned. He knew how much it hurt to be cheated on. He would just kiss her like that, hoping that she would fall head over heels for him, but it was different with Maria. He cared deeply for her. He wanted her to feel like she could trust him and tell him anything. He stood in front of her, looking at her. She looked everywhere except at Chris who was staring down at her. She glanced over to see if he was still looking and he was. She looked down at the floor.

"Maria, please look at me." he said softly.

She continued to look at the floor. He cupped her face and their eyes finally met. He could see pain and sadness in her eyes. She could see concern and compassion in his.

"He doesn't deserve you Maria. You're too good for him." he said, meaning every word he said.

"I'm so stupid! How could--"

"Maria, you're not stupid. He's the stupid one for cheating on you."

"Its just that…how could I not notice? How could I not see--"

"Maria, I told you. He's the stupid one. You don't deserve him or the bullshit that he gave you. You are a beautiful, smart, and caring woman and you don't need someone like him getting in the way of your life." he said, surprised at himself for admitting some of the things he thought of her.

She weakly smiled. "You're right. I don't deserve him." she said sniffling.

"You don't. And his stupidity made him lose a good woman." he said, giving her a warm smile.

She returned the smile. "Chris…I don't mean to sound mean or anything but…why do you care?" she asked.

He looked at her. Studying her. He sighed. "Because…you're sad. I hate seeing you sad. You're barely sad. You're always happy and bubbly." he stated.

"Oh…well…thanks…" she said sheepishly.

"You're welcome…I just cant believe Santino would do something like that…"

"I cant either…"

"Do you wanna come stay with me?" he asked.

"No, its fine…I'll just stay with the girls…Thanks anyways Chris." she replied.

"Are you sure?"

She nodded.

"Alright…just call if you need anything." he replied.

With that, she left and went to 5th floor. She knocked on the door. She was greeted by Candice, who could obviously see something was wrong with the 2008 playboy cover girl. She quickly grabbed Maria and hugged her and let her inside. The two sat on the bed across from each other, cross-legged.

"Ria? What happened sweetie?" Candice asked in a caring voice.

"I caught Santino cheating on me…" Maria answered.

"Are you serious? That son of a bitch! How could he do that?" Candice fumed.

"I don't know…Candy, I broke up with him."

"Good! You don't need him! He so doesn't deserve you! At all! You are way to good for him!" Candice said.

Maria sighed. "That's what Chris said."

"Chris? You told him?"

"Well, he saw me crying so I told him."

"Oh." _I gotta talk to Chris._

"Well, Candy, can I stay here tonight?" Maria asked.

"Sure. I'll be right back though. I'm gonna get something to eat. You want something?"

Maria shakes her head.

"Alright. I'll be back."

With that, the candy-coated diva left and closed the door behind her.

* * *

Candice looked around the lobby, searching for Chris. She needed to talk to him. And quickly. As if on cue, she saw Chris walking a few feet away from her. She ran up to him.

"Chris! I need to talk to you!" Candice exclaimed.

"Sure, about what?" he asked.

"Well, I know you heard about Maria." Candice said.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Well, I know you have a thing for her and--"

"What?! I don't have a thing for Maria! We're just friends!" _But I wanna be more._

"Sure, whatever. Well, as a friend, could you know, take her mind off of Santino? Maybe take her someplace?" Candice asked.

"Would she even wanna go with me?"

"Yeah! Of course she will!" Candice beamed.

"Okay fine. Just tell me when." Chris said.

"Well, uhm, I haven't 'officially' asked if she would wanna go. I was kinda hoping that maybe you could." Candice asked.

"I dunno…"

"C'mon Chris! I mean, you guys are friends right?" Candice said, matter of factly.

_Damn it. She got me there. _"Alright. I'll swing by later then."

"Great!"

Candice left Chris and proceeded back to her hotel room. She slid in her card key and opened the door to find Maria sitting cross-legged on the bed, watching The Wedding Planner. Candice sighed loudly enough for Maria to hear.

"Hey Candy. Where's your food?" Maria asked.

"Oh, uhm, I didn't like the food there." Candice lied.

"Oh. Well, are you sure it's okay for me to stay here?"

"Of course it is!" _But you won't be staying here for long._

"Are you sure?"

"Ria, it is. But if you ask one more time, I'm gonna kick you out." Candice said.

Maria raised her hands in defense. "Alright, I'll stop." Maria said with a smile.

"Good."

Candice sat next to Maria and continued watching the movie.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Ria, could you get that?" Candice asked as her eyes were glued to the screen.

"Sure." Maria answered.

Maria stood up and went to the door. She opened the door and was sorta surprised to see who it was.

"Hey Chris." Maria said with a small smile.

"Hey Maria. Well, I bet you're wondering why I'm here." Chris asked as he massaged the back of his neck.

"Yeah…"

"Well, there's this carnival in town, and I was wondering if you wanna go? You know, take your mind off things?" Chris suggested.

"Uhm, I dunno…" Maria trailed off.

"You should go Ria! Jeff and I went before! It's so much fun!" Candice yelled from the bed.

Chris chuckled. "Do we talk that loud?"

"No! I just have good hearing!" Candice shouted.

Maria giggled a bit. "Well, sure. Why not?"

"Great. I'll pick you up here at 7." Chris said as he looked at his wristwatch.

"Alright. Bye Chris."

With that, Maria closed the door and went back to the bed where Candice was sitting.

"C'mon! You need to get ready! It's already…" she looked at her phone. "6:24."

Maria sighed. "Okay."

Candice immediately raided Maria's luggage bags and searched for something fo r her to wear. After a few minutes, she laid out some outfits on the bed.

"Which one do you like?" Candice asked as she gestured to the outfits.

"That one." Maria said as she pointed to the far left outfit on the bed.

"Great! Now go put it on!" Candice said as she tossed the clothes to Maria and literally shoved her into the bathroom. Maria emerged from the bathroom.

"Turn." Candice said.

Maria did so slowly. She was wearing a sparkly black and grey beater, a black and silver hoodie to match, skinny jeans, and silver flats. She had on dangly diamond earrings and a black fingerless glove on one of her hands. She had on smoky eyeliner and she had her hair mohawk ponytail.

"Ria, you look awesome!" Candice squealed with a huge smile on her face.

"Thanks Candy." Maria said with a smile of her own.

"Santino's stupid for losing you. He lost a gorgeous girl." Candice said.

Maria sighed.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Is that Chris?" Candice asked. She looked at her phone. "Wow, he likes to be on time."

Candice proceeded to the door while Maria was doing some last minute touches. Candice opened the door.

"Hey Chris!" Candice said with a smile.

"Hey Candies. Is Maria ready?" Chris asked as he peeked inside.

"Yup!" Candice said.

"Well, could you get her?" Chris asked with raised eyebrows.

"Sure." She smiled and she turned to the room. "Ria! Chris is here! Get your butt over here!" Candice yelled.

"I'm coming!" Maria yelled from the bathroom.

Candice turned back to Chris.

"Oh gee, I could've done that." Chris said.

"Well, what did you tell me to do it for?" Candice asked.

Chris rolled his eyes. "Oh I dunno. I was tired." Chris said sarcastically.

Maria appeared by the doorway, standing next Candice. Chris was speechless. _She looks beautiful. _He thought to himself.

"Hey Maria, you ready to go?" Chris asked, trying not to sound anxious.

"Yup! I'll see you later Candy!" Maria said.

"Bye!" Candice said.

With that, they left the hotel and they drove to the carnival.

* * *

In the car

"Hey Chris, could I change the station?" Maria asked.

"Sure." Chris answered.

Maria scanned through the stations until she found a song she liked that was playing. She was humming to herself quietly until she was singing aloud and didn't even notice that Chris could hear. Chris stopped at a stoplight and stared at the girl before him and listened to her sing. He smiled a bit. Maria could see from the corner of her eye that Chris was staring at her. She stopped singing and turned to Chris.

"What?" Maria asked.

"You have a nice singing voice." Chris said.

"Thanks." Maria said with a smile. "Ooh, go Chris! It's a green light."

Chris put his hands back on the wheel and started driving again.

"You look gorgeous Maria." Chris said with a smile.

"Thanks." Maria replied.

She turned away and stared out the window, trying to hide the fact that she was blushing.

"So, uhm. Are we there yet?" Maria asked.

"Yup. I just gotta make a left here and…" he turned left. "we're here." Chris said as he drove around. Trying to find a parking spot.

After a few seconds of driving, he found a parking spot. Maria and Chris got out of the car and they linked arms and proceeded to the entrance of the carnival.

**A/N: Thanks to those who reviewed! You guys are so awesome! I hope you guys liked this chappy… I know that not a lot of stuff happens here. But the next chapter will have a LOT of stuff happening. PROMISE! And don't worry for those who read my other story, 'the dirty diva and the champ'. I'll update that one as soon as I can! And check out Jackie's story! It's called '****It's just my heart****' and '****Two's a couple, Three's a crowd****'. They're so awesome! You should totally read it. Read and review please!!**


	6. A Night At the Carnival

**Chapter 6: A Night At the Carnival**

Maria and Chris were walking through the carnival. All of a sudden, Maria stops in her tracks and stares at a huge teddy bear sitting on a prize shelf.

"What is it?" Chris asked, trying to see what she was looking at.

"Look at that bear! It's so cute!" Maria cooed.

He saw the sparkle and twinkle in her eyes as she stared at the teddy bear.

"C'mon." He grabbed her hand and started walking.

He led her to where the teddy bear was located. A man was controlling the carnival game. The carnival game was to ring the bell. The player uses a large mallet to strike a pivot board on the game and it causes the indicator to be shot up on an indicator scale board. And if the pivot is it hit hard enough, the player wins a big prize. The distance from the ground to the bell was fairly long. Maybe 8-9 feet.

"Hello sir, would you like to play?" the man asked.

Chris stared at Maria and saw her stare at the bear yet again. "Yeah. How much?" Chris asked.

"Just a mere two dollars." The man answered.

Chris took out his wallet and gave the man two dollars. "Excellent. Right this way sir." The man said as he gestured to where two scale boards were located.

"Chris, what are you doing?" Maria asked.

"I'm thinking beary over there wants to go home with you." Chris said as he gestured to the bear.

A smile appeared onto Maria's face. "You don't have to Chris. Really, you don't." Maria said.

"I know I don't have to. I just want to." Chris said with a smile.

"Excuse me sir, right over here." The man said as he gestured to the left scale board.

Maria and Chris followed the man. Maria glanced at the other couple on the right scale board and couldn't help but think that the man and woman looked familiar. _No. it can't be._ Maria closed her eyes for a few seconds. She opened her eyes and it was really him. _Oh crap. What is HE doing here? _Maria thought.

Chris took notice of Maria's interest in the other couple to the right of them. "What's up Maria?" Chris asked.

"Look, it's him." Maria said, never taking her eyes off of the couple she despised.

"Don't worry about them Maria." Chris said as he put his arm around her. "C'mon. Why don't you watch how strong I am?" Chris said with a grin.

Maria rolled her eyes. "Sure Chris. Let's go see."

The man handed Chris a large mallet. Chris brought back the mallet over his head and he smashed the mallet into the pivot. The screen said that it was a 91 out of 100.

"Damn it. Here." Chris said as he handed the man another two dollars.

Chris smashed the mallet into the pivot yet again. 93. _DAMN. _Another two dollars was subtracted from his wallet. 95. Another two dollars. And another and another. Chris looked into his wallet. He only had two dollars left. He gave them to the man.

"Chris, it's okay. We don't have to get it." Maria said, trying to stop Chris from spending all his money.

"I'll win this time. I can feel it." Chris said cockily.

He brough back the mallet over his head and powerfully smashed the pivot.

DING! DING! DING!

The bell rang and the screen said 'WINNER! WINNER!'

"Congratulations sir. What will be your prize?" the man asked as he gestured to all the prizes.

"The teddy bear." Chris said as he pointed towards the teddy bear.

The man took it from the shelf and handed it to Chris. Chris handed it to Maria.

"Aww! Thanks Chris! It's so cute! I'm gonna name it…" she thought about what she was going to name it. "Beary."

"Why?" Chris asked.

"Well, you called him beary earlier and it sounds cute so I dec—" she wasn't able to finish.

"Why hello Mareeuh. Having a good time eh?" a voice that Maria and Chris knew all too well.

"What do you want Marella?" Chris said as Maria stood behind Chris.

"Me? Why, nothing. Why would you think that KYJ?" Santino asked.

"First of all, it's Y2J. Jeez. No wonder Lilian gets mad at you. And second, stay away from us. You and your whore." Chris said.

Santino scoffed. "Why should i? It's a free country isn't it?"

Maria stood behind Chris while he and Santino was having an argument. She was also feeling slightly uncomfortable because the woman that Santino was with, the woman Santino cheated on her with, kept giving her dirty looks. She took a deep breath and stood next Chris as she handed Chris her bear.

"May I help you?" Maria asked with attitude.

"Oh, so the bitch speaks?" the woman said.

"Yeah, you do speak! Good for you for noticing!" Maria clapped her hands.

The woman glared at Maria.

Maria noticed. "Oooh. The 'glare'. That one always works." Maria said sarcastically.

Chris let out a small laugh.

"Look trick, I don't know who you think you are but—" the woman started out to say.

"Oh, I know who I am. I'm Maria. And I know I could beat your ass if I wanted to." Maria interrupted.

The woman smirked. "Prove it. Hit me."

Maria brought her hand up and was about to slap the woman but hesitated.

The man running the game took notice of the fight. He got in between the couples. "Excuse me people. If you're gonna fight, fight over there!" he said as he pointed towards a deserted area. All of them moved over to the area.

"So, c'mon. Hit me. If you had the guts to." The woman smirked.

Maria hesitated. It wasn't her nature to just slap anybody.

"That's what I thought. Stupid bitch." The woman said as she turned around.

Stupid. The woman had just called Maria stupid. Maria always hated being called stupid. She was tired of how everyone thought she was a dumb bimbo. Maria grabbed the woman's wrist 

and made her face Maria. Maria suddenly slapped the woman across the face and the woman stumbled from the impact.

"Why you little…"

the woman lunged at Maria but Maria easily got out of the way. Maria gave the woman hard punches to the face. Chris decided that it was getting too far and he grabbed Maria and restrained her while Santino did the same to the woman.

"Let go of me!"

"One more swing at her! Just one!"

The two ladies shouted. Chris carried Maria and the bear to an area that was far away from Santino and that woman. He put Maria down and Maria tried to make a run for it but he grabbed her again.

"Calm down Maria! She's not worth it!" Chris said as Maria struggled out of his grasp.

Maria sighed and gave up. "Fine…You win."

Chris put Maria down again and this time, she didn't run away. Chris was thankful. He never thoguht that holding a woman back from a fight would be so difficult and tiring.

"Oh my god. I hate her!" Maria fumed.

"Maria, calm down. She has nothing on you." Chris said as he handed Maria her 'beary' back.

Maria sighed. "Thanks." Maria smiled and faced the huge teddy bear in her hands. "I'm so sorry you had to see that Beary." She said to the bear.

"Yeah. And she promises that she won't do anything like that again, right Maria?" Chris said.

Maria rolled her eyes. "Yeah…I promise…"

"Good. Now can we go back to the carnival?" Chris asked.

"Yeah. C'mon Beary let's go!" Maria cooed as she held the bear close to her.

Chris and Maria proceeded back to the carnival. They continued playing games and walked around the carnival. Overall, they were enjoying each other's company. The time came for the night to end. They got into Chris's rental car and Maria immediately scanned the stations for a song she liked. She settled on listening to 'My Love' by Justin Timberlake.

_I can see us holding hands_

_Walking on the back, our toes in the sand_

_I can see us on the countryside_

_Sitting on the grass, laying side by side_

_You could be my baby, let me make you my lady_

_Girl you amaze me_

_Aint gotta do nothing crazy_

_See, all I want you to do is be my love_

Maria sang the words to the song while Chris listened. He couldn't help but think how the song explained his situation so well. Maria sang these words, not knowing the effect it had on Chris. Chris was thinking about how it explained how he was feeling about HER. They arrived at the hotel and Chris walked Maria to Candice's room.

"I had a great timewith you Chris. And so did Beary." Maria said with a smile as she held 'Beary'.

"Thanks. I had a great time too. We should hang out more." Chris said.

"I know! How bout we go to this awesome restaurant at our next stop? I love it and I think you will too!" Maria exclaimed.

Chris chuckled. "Sure. That'd be great."

"I know. It would be…great."

Their faces got closer and closer to each other's. Soon, their lips met. A few seconds later, they pulled away from each other, looking away from the other. Maria's cheeks were on fire. Chris was embarassed. He couldn't believe that they had just kissed. And the fact that she kissed him back…

"Uhmm, yeah… thanks—"

"Yeah, I gotta go do something—"

They spoke simultaneously. Maria quickly went inside her and Candice's room and Chris went back to his room. Maria looked around and saw Candice no where in sight. She placed Beary on a pillow on the bed and collapsed on the bed and sighed. _What did I just do?_ Maria thought. She smiled a bit. _He kissed me back…_

* * *

Chris had just arrived at his room. He lied down on the bed. _She kissed me back. Maybe she likes me back…Oh god. I feel like a lovestruck teenage boy._

**A/N: Thanks to those who reviewed! And no problem Jackie! Your stories rock! I couldn't help but to put your stories! You're welcome! Hope you guys liked this chappy. Read and review please!!**


	7. A Friendly Race

**Chapter 7: A Friendly Race**

Maria had just woken up. She looked around the room and saw Candice sleeping on the other bed. _Should I wake her up? _Maria took one more look at Candice. _Naw. She looks so tired. She didn't even wipe off her make-up yet._ She walked inside the bathroom. She changed into baggy sweats and a tank top. She grabbed her gym bag and she left the room. She proceeded to the gym of the hotel. She immediately went straight for the treadmill. She placed her bag beside the treadmill so she could keep an eye on it. She pressed 'power' on the treadmill and set the pace to 4.5. She began running and working up a sweat…

* * *

Chris was in his room talking with no other than Jeff Hardy.

"So, what happened on your date?" Jeff asked.

"I told you. It wasn't a date." Chris denied.

"Oh sorry. So, how was the carnival with Maria?" Jeff asked with a smirk.

Chris rolled his eyes. "It was fun. I mean, Santaco ruined the fun for a bit but we got over it."

"Okay… that doesn't really explain that big smile you had plastered on your face yesterday when you came in." Jeff stated.

"Oh… it was nothing… I'm gonna head down to the gym." Chris said.

He went down to the gym and went to go do some reps… after 10 minutes, he proceeded to the treadmill. He was so caught up in the song he was listening to, he didn't even notice who was running along beside him.

* * *

Maria was running on her treadmill until she noticed a familiar face running beside her. She looked to her right and saw Chris listening to his ipod. She turned off her treadmill and stared at the man to the right of her. He didn't even notice her. She decided he might notice her staring and she tapped him on the shoulder. He turned off his treadmill and he faced the person who had disturbed his workout.

"Hey Chris." Maria said smiling.

"Hey Maria." Chris replied.

"So, uhm, I had a fun time yesterday." Maria said sheepishly.

"Yeah me too." He said as he massaged the back of his neck.

"So…uhm… I was wondering…" Maria started off.

"Yeah?" Chris said, anxious to hear what she was about to say.

"Well, I was wondering if you wanted to go run around that park near here with me. but If you don't, its okay, I mean you're probably—" _Oh crap, I'm rambling!_

"Sure, I'll be glad to go with you." Chris said.

"Really? I mean, uhm, great. So, do you wanna go now?" Maria asked.

"Yeah, let's get outta here." Chris said as he picked up her gym bag off the floor.

"Thanks." Maria said with a smile.

"No problem."

The two walked out of the gym and dropped off Maria's bag at her and Candice's hotel room. They walked to the nearby park, just a block away. The park consisted of a few hills and trails, green grass, and couples who were taking a stroll in the park. Maria and Chris sat down in the grass.

"It's a nice park isn't it? It's not full of garbage like some parks are." Maria said.

"I know… So, you ready to run?" Chris asked.

"Yup!" Maria said.

"Race ya. From here, run over that hill and reach the bottom of the hill." Chris said as he pointed to the hill he was talking about.

"You're on." Maria beamed.

"1…2…3…GO!" Chris said.

Maria and Chris sped off and started racing. By the time Chris reached the hill, he saw Maria already beat him to it. She was running up the hill, exhuasted already. _Damn. This hill is steep!_ Maria thought to herself as she was running. She glanced behind her and saw Chris hot on her trail. She began to run faster but Chris sped right by her. By this time, they reached the top of the hill, and they began running downhill. Chris glanced behind him and saw Maria a few feet away from him. While he was looking behind him, he tripped over a rock and began tumbling down the hill. Maria didn't notice what Chris had tripped over and forgot about it. Soon enough, she tripped over the same rock that Chris had tripped on. She, as well, began tumbling down the hill. Chris finally stopped tumbling, mostly because he reached the bottom the hill and he laid on his back, catching his breath. Soon, Maria landed on top off of him, her face almost touching his, catching her breath. A smirk grew across Chris's face.

"I win."

**A/N: I know. Pretty boring chapter… and I know it's pretty SHORT. Promise next one is gonna be DRAMA! SWEAR ON MY LIFE. If it's not, may Umaga bulldoze me. LOL. Please read and review!! YOU WONT REGRET IT. Lol. :)**


	8. A Secret Admirer

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry I havent updated my stories, in like, forever!! I hope this one makes up for it… I'm really sorry!! R&R Please!**

_**Italics represent thoughts.**_

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING. EVEN THOUGH I WOULD LIKE TO OWN CHRIS JERICHO :P**

Chapter 8: A Secret Admirer

Maria was sitting in the Women's locker room getting ready for the taping of RAW tonight. She spent the last few days hanging out with Chris. She knew that she definitely had feeling for him but she wasn't sure about Chris. Sure they had kissed but maybe it was all in the moment. Maria shook her head and tried to erase those thoughts from her head. she stood up and she looked at herself in the mirror. She was dressed in a black knee length dress and black stilettos. She was satisfied with how she looked for tonight's taping.

"Hey ria. What's up?" a voice said from behind her.

"Hey Ash. Nothing. Just making sure everything looks perfect for tonight." Maria said with a smile.

"Oh. heard from a certain candy-coated diva that you went out with a certain ayatollah of rock n' rolla." Ashley said with a smirk.

"It was nothing…he just asked if I wanted to go to the carnival with him and I said yes and he won me a bear while we were there." Maria said casually.

"Is that it? You didn't get a lil something something at the end of the date?"

"It wasn't a date!" Maria exclaimed.

"Sure it wasn't… And by the way? There's something outside for you." Ashley said with a smile.

"Really?" Maria said.

She opened the door and saw a bouquet of red roses set neatly down on the floor. She bent down to pick them up and closed the door behind her. She set the roses down on a bench and noticed a small card.

_Dear Maria,_

_You looked gorgeous last week on Raw._

_Maybe you and I can get together sometime._

_Maybe tomorrow? Around 8ish. At the bar at the hotel you're staying at._

_Don't worry. I'm not some crazed fan. I work with you._

_I'll see you tonight. You just wont know it._

_Love,_

_A WWE Superstar._

Maria read the note to herself.

"Uhm, that's kinda creepy." Maria said.

"I think it's cute! You have a secret admirer!" Ashley cooed.

"I guess it is. I'll give this guy a chance. Whoever it is. Who knows? Maybe my next relationship wont end up like my last one." Maria said hopefully.

"Ooh! And you'll see him tonight! But it's gonna be hard. Tonight, all three brands are gonna be here." Ashley said.

"Oh. Well, maybe I can find out who it is by tonight." Maria said with a smirk.

"Maybe…" Ashley said.

Maria shrugged her shoulders.

"I'll be back." Maria said as she was opened the door.  
"Where are you going?"

"Don't worry. I'll be back soon." Maria said with a wink.

With that, Maria was on her way to the Men's locker room. After 5 minutes, she spotted the door. She raised her hand to knock and she did so. After three knocks, Jeff opened the door.

"Hey Jeff! Is Chris there?" Maria asked.

"Hey ria. And yeah, I'll go get him." Jeff said.

He closed the door.

"Aye Chris! Your girlfriend's outside!" Jeff yelled.

"Shut up man! Maria is not my girlfriend!" Chris said.

"Why do you have to assume its Maria?" Jeff asked with a smirk.

Chris rolled his eyes. He went outside to find Maria sitting on top of a metal box in the hallway.

"Hey beautiful." Chris said.

Maria got off of the box to give Chris a hug. "Hey handsome." Maria said with a smile.

Ever since that day in the park, Maria and Chris has had a very, flirtatious friendship. Unfortunately, either was too shy or too scared to ask the other on an official date.

"So, what's up?" Chris asked.

"Well, I have a secret admirer." Maria said.

"Oh?"

"Yeah! I got red roses and a note saying to meet him at the bar at the hotel tomorrow around 8." Maria said.

Chris felt jealousy run throughout his whole body. _Why am I jealous? I shouldn't be…_ "So, are you gonna?"

"Yeah, I think I am."

"Oh. Does he work with us?"'

"The note said he did. He said I'm gonna see him tonight. But I don't know what roster he's on."

"Oh yeah. All three brands are here tonight." Chris said.

"I know. So now I probably wont be able to know for sure." Maria frowned.

"That sucks." Chris said as sadly as he could. In his mind, he was so frickin happy to hear that.

"Well, whatever. I can wait til tomorrow. So, you got a match tonight?" Maria asked

"you should know the answer to that already." Chris said.

"Oh, well, you would have won if you had one!" Maria said with a smile.

"Thanks beautiful. I'll see you later. I gotta get ready." Chris said.

"Alrighty then. Bye handsome." Maria said as they kissed each other on the cheek.

Maria walked back to the women's locker room. Later in the night, Maria had to go to the ring for the second edition of the dating game. She did her usual entrance. She proceeded to the ring.

"hello Maria! Well, this is the second time you have appeared on the dating game so you should know how it goes. You may begin with the questions." regal said.

Maria nodded. "bachelor number 1? What is your idea of a fun date?" Maria asked.

No response. Maria waited a few more seconds. She was about to move on to the next bachelor but someone spoke.

"Maria. If you could see him, this is the face of a man who really knows how to get down with the ladies." the voice said.

"uh, thank you. Bachelor number 2? Where would you take me for a date?" Maria asked. _What the hell? What kinda question was that?  
_  
"I would take you to palace of wisdom, Maria. I'm the shaman of sexy. You can be my...my...shamaness of sexy.." the bachelor said.

"uhm, thank you?" she leaned over to William regal and whispered, "what's a shaman of sexy?" she asked, accidentally saying into the microphone.

Regal shrugged his shoulders. Maria did the same as well.

"So bachelor number 3? If me and you were the last two people on earth, do you think I would fall for you?" Maria asked. _Oh my god. You gotta be kidding me._

"hell yeah! And you wanna know why? Because I'm a sexy beast baby!!" bachelor number 3 said.

Maria giggled.

"so Maria, which bachelor do you pick?" regal asked.

"I think I'm gonna pick...bachelor number...three!" Maria exclaims.

"Alright then. Congratulations Maria! You have a date with…" he paused for dramatic effect. "Chris Jericho!" Regal exclaimed.

Chris stepped out from behind the wall separating them and gave Maria a hug.

The couple disappeared backstage and their next segment was after commercial.

"So…" Maria trailed off.

"You excited for your blind date tomorrow?" Chris asked.

"Yeah! I mean, it'll be fun." Maria smiled.

"Oh."

"Yeah, so, you ready for our segment?" Maria asked.

"Of course." Chris grinned.

"Hey guys. You ready?" the director said.

Maria and Chris both nod.

"Good. In 5...4...3...2...1...and…go!" the director said.

The cameramen started filming. Maria was sitting on top of a metal box in the hallway, looking at the floor with her hands on her lap. Chris walked into the frame and stopped in front of her.

"Hey beautiful. Why so sad?" he asked as he took her hand in his.

"Nothing. It's just that, Santino has been bothering me lately…" she sighed.

"Forget about Santaco. He's not as sexy as I am right?" Chris smirked.

"Well, no." Maria giggled.

"Alright then. Just forget about him. And I'm looking forward to our date next week." Chris grinned.

He leaned to kiss her on the lips and did so. They kissed for about 10 seconds, but to them, felt like an eternity. When they pulled away from each other, Chris walked out of the frame. Maria bit her bottom lip and smiled.

"Me too…" Maria smiled.

She hopped off of the metal box and walked out of the frame. Santino peeked out of nearby door and the camera zoomed in on him. He had an angry expression on his face. He shook his head and went back inside and closed the door.

"And…cut! Chris, Maria, great job guys!" the director said.

"Uhh, sir, there's no one here besides us." the cameraman said.

"Oh. I knew that." the director lied.

"Right." the cameraman said and walked away.

* * *

Maria went back to the Women's locker room and in front of the door, she found another note with a single red rose on it.

_Dear Maria,_

_You did great out there tonight._

_I'm looking forward to seeing you tomorrow._

_Who knows? Maybe you're excited to see me too._

_Love,_

_A WWE Superstar_

Maria read the note to herself and she picked up the rose. She smelled it and smiled. She was always a sucker for roses. She walked inside the locker room and everyone questioned her being more happy and bubbly mood than usual. She got changed and she proceeded to her hotel room. She collapsed on her bed and sighed. _I wonder who this guy is…_ was Maria's last thought before she drifted off to sleep. The next day, she woke up and stretched. She glanced at the clock and saw that it was 11:32AM. She got up out of bed and walked over to the bathroom. She did the usual hygiene stuff. A shower, brushing her teeth, etc. She was blowdrying her hair when someone knocked on the door. She turned off the blowdryer and opened the door to find Ashley and Mickie there.

"Good morning sunshine!" Mickie beamed.

"Morning guys." Maria smiled.

"You wanna go to the mall?" Ashley asked.

"Sure, I just have to change and I'll be ready." Maria said.

The punk princess and the petite brunette nodded. Maria was ready to go after 20 minutes and they left to go to the mall. When they returned to the hotel, which was at 7:03PM, they went to Maria's room.

"Ria, you should get ready now." Ashley said.

"Fine." Maria said.

Maria grabbed her clothes and she went to the bathroom. After 40 minutes, she emerged from the bathroom. She was wearing skinny jeans, brown uggs, a yellow camisole, a brown jacket, and a light brown scarf. Her hair was in a Mohawk ponytail, her emerald green eyes surrounded by smokey black eyeliner. Mickie and Ashley smiled in agreement and approved.

"Ria, it's almost 8. You should head down now." Mickie said.

"Yeah, we'll be here waiting to hear what happened." Ashley smiled.

"And if you need to know about an 'emergency' just text us and we'll tell you." Mickie giggled.

"Thanks guys. Wish me luck." Maria smiled.

"Good luck!" Ashley and Mickie said.

Maria smiled and exited her hotel room. She got in the elevator and rode it down to the 1st floor where the bar was located. She walked inside the bar and looked around for someone who might be her secret admirer.

"Hello. I'm glad you came." a man said from behind.

She turned around to face the man.

"What are you— " she couldn't finish her sentence.

The man covered her mouth with his hand harshly and dragged her to a private room.

**A/N: Hey guys! I hope you liked it. And I hope this makes for my long update. WRITER'S BLOCK. It's a bitch. Read and Review Please! And hmm… I wonder who did that Maria? ;)**


	9. Not Again

**A/N: Hey guys. I decided to delete my story, 'the dirty diva and the champ'. I'm sorry. I just don't have the inspiration for it anymore. I'm sorry to whoever liked that story. But right now, I wanna focus on managing stories I will actually finish. So, right now, its this one and my other one which is a collaboration with Jackie wAcKiEjAcKiE826 which is called 'Love me or hate me' so yeah. R&R Please! Also, Jackie invented MERICHO for me! XD thanks. **

**Maria + Jericho MERICHO :) **

_**Italics represent thoughts.**_

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING. EVEN THOUGH I WOULD LIKE TO OWN CHRIS JERICHO :P**

**Chapter 9: Not Again…**

**Nearly three hours after Maria was abducted…**

Chris was sitting on his bed watching a movie that he wasn't interested in one bit. He sighed loudly and turned off the TV. He decided to go take a walk around the hotel. He picked up the card key that was resting on the table and he walked out of his hotel room. He took the elevator down to the first floor. He started walking when a little girl who looked about 8 or 9 stopped him.

"Uhm, are you Chris Jericho?" the little girl asked.

"Yes I am, and who are you?" Chris said as he knelt down to speak face to face with the little girl.

"My name's Francesca!" she smiled.

"And how may I help you Francesca?" he asked.

"Can I have your autograph?" she asked.

"Of course! Do you have a pen and paper?"

"Uh huh!" the little girl smiled as she held out a paper and a pen.

Chris wrote his autograph on the paper and handed the paper and pen back to the little girl.

"There ya go." Chris smiled.

"Thank you! And I just wanna say that you and Maria look so cute on TV!" the little girl exclaimed.

With that, the little girl bounced away back to her mother.

Chris sighed. _I wonder how her date's going…_ he thought to himself. He sighed once again. Just then, he spotted Mickie and Ashley sitting at the café. He walked over to them.

"Hey Chris!" Ashley smiled.

"Hey Ash. Micks." Chris greeted.

"Chris. So, what's up? You look sad." Mickie asked.

"I think it's cuz his love is on another date." Ashley teased.

"Aww. How cute. Chris Jericho is jealous!!" Mickie teased.

"Shut up. I'm not jealous." Chris lied.

"Riiiight. Whatever." Ashley grinned.

"I'm not! I am—"

"So, Ash, Maria's been gone for a while now. Her dates usual last an hour." Mickie interrupted Chris.

"I know. And she usually texts us if her date is going good or not." Ashley sighed.

"What time was her date at?" Chris asked.

"Eight. And it's already 10:23." Mickie answered as she looked at her phone.

"It's been two hours and a half already?" Ashley asked shocked.

"Maybe she's just having a good time." Mickie said.

"I hope so." Ashley said worriedly.

* * *

Maria was tied up to a chair in a dark room. There was a single light and it was shining on her.

"Who are you?! And why are you doing this?!" Maria shrieked.

"Shut up will you! You never did know how to shut your mouth Mahreehuh!" a voice said.

"S-S-Santino?! Why are you doing this?!"

Santino got up in her face.

"Because! No one dumps ME! It is the other way around!" Santino yelled.

"Well guess what douche bag?! There's a first time for everything!" Maria yelled back.

"Shut up!" Santino said.

He harshly punched her in the face. Maria screamed in agony and pain.

"That will teach you never to talk back to me!"

"No! I'm tired of your shit Santino!" Maria yelled back.

Santino slapped her harshly across the face.

"Shut up woman!"

Maria stayed silent. She could tell a black eye was going to form on her face.

"Good. I'll see you later…" he got closer to her face. "Mahreehuh." he whispered in her ear. He walked towards the door. "Watch her. Make sure no one can hear her." Santino instructed to the darker area of the room.

"No problem." a gruff voice said.

With that, Santino walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

A man stepped out of the shadows of the room.

"Carlito?!" Maria said in disbelief.

"Hello Maria. How you doing? Good? That's cool." Carlito smirked.

"Why are you doing this?" Maria asked.

"None of your business." Carlito answered back.

An idea popped up into Maria's head. When Carlito had his back to her, she was able to wiggle her legs free from the ropes that were tying her legs together. She made sure that it still looked like her legs were tied together.

"Uhm, Carlito? Can you do me a favor?" Maria asked sweetly.

"And why would I do that?" Carlito asked.

"Just tell me if I have bruises on my face."

"Whatever."

Carlito got closer to her and saw if there was any.

"Yup." Carlito said.

"Oh. Thanks." Maria smiled.

When Carlito had his back to her once more, she stood and stood behind him.

"Hey Carlito?" Maria said.

When he expected to see a tied up Maria, he was surprised to see Maria standing right behind him.

Maria kicked him where the sun don't shine and he fell to his knees.

Maria ran to the door, not quickly I might add(c'mon! She's still sitting on a chair!). She screamed like crazy hoping to get someone's attention.

Carlito finally got to his feet and ran after Maria. He kicked her in the face and she was knocked out.

* * *

"You know what? I'm gonna go get a drink." Chris said.

"Are you sure its not just so you can spy on Maria?" Ashley smirked.

"No its not!" Chris said rather defensively.

"Sure…" Mickie giggled.

"She probably went somewhere with her date anyway." Chris said sadly.

With that, the ayatollah of rock n' rolla went to the hotel bar. On his way there, he could've sworn he heard someone screaming. He shrugged it off. _Maybe I'm just hearing things. _Chris thought to himself. He scanned the bar for Maria. No where in sight. "Probably went to a club." Chris muttered. He stayed at the bar for a good hour when he decided that he shouldn't drink himself into more denial. When he looked at the entrance of the bar, he saw Santino and Carlito exiting a room with a smirk on their face.

"I wonder what they were doing…" Chris muttered.

* * *

Carlito and Santino exited the room they held Maria in. She was out of the chair, but not out of harm. When Santino arrived in the room 30 minutes ago, she never expected that to happen. She dragged her body over to the door but the door was locked from the outside. She began screaming for help until she finally fainted.

* * *

Chris was walking out of the bar when he heard screaming. He stopped in his tracks and walked backward to where he originally heard the screaming from. The screaming stopped. He found himself in front of a door. He unlocked the door and opened it. He wasn't expecting to see the sight before him.

He found himself looking at a fallen Maria, her body surrounded by blood. Chris instinctively ran over to Maria to see if she still had a pulse…

**A/N: hope you guys liked this chappy. Well, not LIKE, cuz hello? Maria got hurt. I don't think a lot of people would like that. But forget it, I'm rambling aren't I?**

**OMG! Will Maria be okay?? Who knows? Oh wait… I do. XD**

**R&R please and thank you!**


	10. Just Wasnt Meant to Be

**A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for the reviews! You guys are awesome! Here goes with the next chappy.**

**Mericho 3**

_**Italics represent thoughts.**_

**Disclaimer: I still own nothing. And I STILL don't own Chris Jericho. :(**

Chapter 10: Maybe it Just Wasn't Meant to Be

**At the hospital…**

Chris was nervously pacing back and forth throughout the waiting room, anxiously waiting to hear an update on the fallen 2008 playboy cover girl. Mickie, Ashley, Melina, Candice, John, Jeff, and Randy arrived as well, sitting on the waiting room chairs, the divas were silently crying to themselves, hoping that their fallen friend would pull through. The superstars were comforting their crying friends, telling them that Maria will be fine.

They've been at the hospital for nearly 5 hours, anxiously waiting for news.

Chris couldn't believe what happened. He couldn't believe how much blood was surrounding her body when he found her. He never once thought anybody would ever hurt Maria that harshly. Everyone loved her because of her bubbly personality and her ability to make someone smile in the darkest of times.

"Chris. Sit down. You pacing around isn't gonna speed up time." Jeff said as he comforted Candice.

Chris didn't respond. He continued his pacing.

"Chris, Jeff is right. Just sit down. Do you think Maria would want you to be like this?" Candice said.

Chris didn't say a word but he did finally sit down. He sat on the other side of the room, staring at the floor.

"He's taking it really hard." Ashley said softly as she wiped away her tears.

"I know. I just hope ria is alright. For his sake." John replied as he stroked Ashley's hair.

"For our sake too." Ashley whispered to herself.

The group sat in silence, each hoping that their fallen friend would be okay.

Chris kept glancing at the door, hoping, wanting, to see a doctor walk in and tell them an update.

Soon enough, a man in a doctor's outfit walked in.

"Are you all here for…" he looked down at his clipboard. "a Maria Kanellis?" he asked.

Chris's head immediately shot up, along with the others.

"Yes." Randy answers.

"Well, she's gonna do just fine. Well…I have theory of what happened to her…" the doctor trailed off, unsure if he should tell the group.

"Continue…" John said.

"Well, have any of you had rough sexual intercourse with Ms. Kanellis in the past 48 hours?" the doctor asks.

The group immediately shook their heads.

"Well then. I think that she was raped. She has multiple bruises around her body, most of them around her vaginal area. She also has many cuts on her arms, legs, and back, as if she was whipped. She has a black eye, and a cut on her lip. She also has minor head trauma from what I have seen. She has lost a lot of blood, but not enough for…well, thank god for whoever finding her when they did." the doctor said.

"Is she…awake?" Melina spoke up.

"Yes she is. She's weak at the moment, but she is awake and she can speak." the doctor said.

"Can we see her?" Mickie asked.

"Of course. But at the most, 3 at a time. We don't want her to feel claustrophobic or enclosed with too many people around her."

"Alright thanks doc." Jeff said.

"I'll be outside. Just send out the first group and I'll show you guys what room she's in." the doctor said.

The group nods their head and the doctor walks out of the room.

"Alright, who wants to go first?" Jeff asked his friends.

"Chris? Do you wanna go first?" Candice asked.

Chris said nothing. He just simple shook his head.

"Alrighty then…" Ashley awkwardly said.

"How bout the girls go first?" Randy suggested.

"Alright. I wanna go first. Who wants to go with me?" Mickie asked.

"I will." Melina said.

With that, the two brunettes walked out of the waiting room and they met up with the doctor.

The doctor showed them to Maria's room. The doctor left and closed the door behind him.

Maria looked at her friends and gave them a weak smile as they sat beside her bed.

"Hey babe." Melina smiled.

"Hey Mel. Hi Micks." Maria said.

"How you holding up?" Mickie asked with a worried look on her face.

"I'll be fine. You know, I always did wanna try hospital food, but now, I wish I hadn't." Maria smiled weakly.

Melina and Mickie smiled and giggled because even though their friend was hurt, she always looked on the bright side and somehow makes everyone around her smile.

"How is it that even though you're hurt, you always somehow cheer everybody up?" Mickie giggled.

"I guess its my gift." Maria smiled weakly once more.

"Everyone's here for you. Well, not everybody, but the gang is." Melina smiled.

"Really?" Maria beamed.

"Mmhmm." Melina smiled.

"And your Chris is included in that gang." Mickie giggled.

Maria smiled at the thought of Chris.

"We'll let you see everyone else now." Mickie smiled.

"Bye babe. Get better soon." Melina smiled.

On their way out, Maria heard Mickie say, "get better soon? What are you a hallmark card?" Maria giggled.

Maria was flipping through channels on the television set in her hospital room when she heard the door open.

She looked at the door to find Ashley and Candice.

The two sat in the bedside chairs.

"We're glad you're going to be okay ria." Candice smiled.

"Thanks guys for waiting all this time." Maria said.

"It's no problem. You scared us half to death when Chris told us what happened." Ashley said.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. We're just happy that you're alive." Ashley smiled.

"So how long have you guys been waiting exactly?" Maria giggled.

"I lost count after 8." Candice said.

"Are you serious?" Maria said shocked.

"She's kidding. We've been here for about 5 hours." Ashley smirked as she playfully hit Candice on the arm.

"Ow!" Candice exclaimed.

"Well that's what you get for saying that to her when she's already in the hospital." Ashley smirked.

"Baby, we'll come back later. Ashley and I have to have a talk outside." Candice gritted her teeth.

Maria giggled and nodded her head.

"A talk huh? What about huh?" Ashley asked as she and the candy coated diva walked out of the room.

She heard the two arguing and giggled to herself.

"They may losers, but they're the best losers I could ever have." Maria said to herself.

The door opened, Maria's head shot up, hoping she would see Chris walk in.

Instead, John, Randy, and Jeff walked in.

"Hey ria." Jeff said.

"Hey guys." Maria said coarsely.

The guys sat on the bedside chairs.

"You gave us a quite a scare Ms. Kanellis." John said.

"I'm sorry." Maria smiled weakly.

"Don't worry about it." Randy smiled.

"How long do I have to stay here?" Maria asked.

"They're going to keep you here overnight for observation and maybe you can leave tomorrow." Jeff said.

"Oh, so what time is it?" Maria asked.

"It is..." Jeff looked at his phone. "7:37AM."

"Really? I didn't know I was here for that long."

"Vince knows. He's going to talk to everybody on the whole WWE roster tomorrow." Randy said.

"Do I have to be there?" Maria asked nervously.

"I don't think it's a good idea." John shook his head.

"Well, we'll visit you later ria. I'm sure someone else wants to go in." Jeff grinned.

"Okay. Bye guys." Maria giggled.

John, Jeff, and Randy walked out of Maria's hospital room.

They returned to the waiting room.

"Hey Chris, you can go in now." Randy said.

Chris just looked up at Randy and nodded. He got up from his seat and walked out of the waiting room. The doctor showed him to Maria's room.

Chris took a deep breath before walking in. He finally opened the door to see a bruised and battered Maria flipping through channels on the TV set.

"Hey beautiful." Chris said.

Maria's head instantly looked over to where Chris was.

"Hey handsome. How could you call me beautiful when I look like this?" she said.

He sat down on one of the bedside chairs.

He took her hand in his, but she flinched in the process. As soon as she flinched, Chris let go. She probably had post trauma as well.

"Because, you are to me. No matter what you look like." Chris smiled.

"Thanks." Maria smiled.

"So, I'm glad you're okay."

"Thanks. I'm just happy you found me when you did. If you didn't, who knows what could've happened." Maria said.

"Don't think about that. So, I'm sure the guys told you that Vince knows." Chris said.

"Mmhmm." she nodded her head.

"I'm going to tell him." Chris said, his face serious.

"Tell him what?" Maria asked puzzled.

"That Santino and Carlito did this to you." he said.

Maria nodded in response.

"Those guys are going to get what's coming to them." Chris said angrily.

"Thanks for coming to visit me Chris." Maria smiled.

"It's no problem." Chris said.

Maria smiled and nodded.

"Can you believe it? Not one thing is on TV." Maria said as she surfed through the channels.

Chris chuckled in response.

"So uhm. Maria? Can I tell you something?" Chris said nervously.

"Of course."

"Well, uhm…I don't know how to say this. And you know I don't beat around the bush. But this is hard for me. I—"

Chris was interrupted by knocking coming from outside the door.

"Come in." Maria said weakly.

The door opened to reveal the doctor.

"I'm sorry. But you have to leave now. She should get some rest now." the doctor said.

Chris nodded. "I'll swing by later beautiful."

Maria nodded.

With that, Chris walked out of the room.

"Alright Ms. Kanellis. We are going to keep you here for one more night, and you can leave by tomorrow." the doctor said.

"Alright thank you doctor…"

"Johnson." he continued.

"Dr. Johnson, thank you." Maria smiled.

Dr. Johnson nodded and with that, he walked out of the room.

Chris was sitting down in his previous spot in the waiting room.

_I was just about to tell her…Maybe it just wasn't meant to be…_

"Chris come on. We're going back to the hotel." Candice said.

Chris nodded.

He followed his group of friends and got into the rental car.

**A/N: hey guys! I hope you liked this chappy! R&R please :)**


	11. I Missed You

**A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for your reviews! It just made my day! Here goes with the next chappy!**

**Disclaimer: I still own nothing. :(**

**Chapter 11: I Missed You**

Maria had finally finished her time at the hospital. The group was on their way to pick her up.

"John! Quit driving like an old lady!" Chris said.

"What?! I'm already going 40!" John said.

"Only! John! We're on the freeway! At least go 60." Chris groaned.

"Fine…" John grumbled.

John finally sped up his driving and they arrived at the hospital after 10 minutes. Ashley went to Maria's room to pick up the 2008 April issue playboy cover girl. She arrived at the door of Maria's hospital room. She knocked.

"Come in." a faint voice said.

Ashley did so.

"Hey ria! You ready to go?" Ashley asked.

"Yup!" Maria beamed.

Maria was feeling better. Some of her bruises are almost gone, her cuts were healing nicely, her black eye was getting better, her head was feeling way better, and she was finally able to leave the hospital.

The self proclaimed dirty diva and the bubbly brunette walked out of her hospital room and went to the rental car. Maria sat in the front seat because they didn't want her to feel to enclosed in the back. Chris, John, and Ashley sat in the middle row, John in between Chris and Ashley. In the back row was Melina, Mickie, Candice, and Randy, in that order.

"We're so glad you're okay ria." Mickie smiled.

"I know. Me too. We're going to the hotel right?" Maria asked.

"Yeah. We're almost there." Jeff said, who was driving the vehicle.

"Thank god Jeff's driving. John drives _sooo_ slow." Melina giggled.

"Hey!"

"It's alright baby. I think you're an awesome driver." Ashley said as she and John shared a hug.

"Ash, do you really think that?" Chris asked.

"Of course!" Ashley exclaimed.

'Nooo.' she mouthed to Chris.

Chris chuckled and shook his head.

They soon arrived at the hotel and Maria quickly took the elevator up to her hotel room. She just wanted to take another shower. She felt dirty. Santino and Carlito had damaged Maria physically and emotionally when they forced themselves inside her. She took off her clothes and got in the shower. She turned on the water. As the water hit her skin, she couldn't help but cringe at the water hitting her cuts and bruises. She let her tears run freely down her face. She couldn't help but to think how Carlito and Santino hurt her. She couldn't help but to think about the pain they had caused her. She couldn't help but to think how they raped her… She stayed in the shower for 10 more minutes before finally stepping out of the shower.

She wrapped her towel around her body and one around her hair. She got dressed in baggy sweats and a camisole. She heard a knock on her hotel room door. She opened the door to see two police officers and Vince McMahon.

"Hello Maria." Vince greeted.

"Uh, hi Vince." Maria said. "Come in."

She opened the door wider so that they could walk in.

"I'm sorry about what happened. Chris told me everything. About how you had previous experience with Santino's abuse." Vince said.

Maria simply nodded.

"So, these police officers are here to listen about what happened so they could legally arrest Santino and Carlito." Vince told her.

Maria nodded once more.

Maria told them every little detail that she could remember about what had taken place that traumatic night and how Santino abused her during their relationship.

"Thank you Ms. Kanellis, I think that's all the information we need." one of the police officers said.

Maria simply nodded once more and the officers left her hotel room.

"So, Maria, how are you feeling?" Vince asked.

"Much better than before." Maria smiled weakly.

"That's good. So, I have decided to fire Santino and Carlito and I'm having them arrested for at least 5 years in the clink." Vince said.

"Really?" Maria's face brightened up.

"Yes. I fired them yesterday at the meeting I had. I'm sure your friends have told you about it."

"Yeah."

"So, I'm glad your alright and—" he was cut off by his phone ringing. "Excuse me." he said.

Maria nodded.

"Hello? Oh hi princess…Yeah…That's great…Yes…She's right here…Sure…" Vince said into his phone before handing it Maria.

"Hello?" Maria said into the phone.

"_Hello?" a female voice said._

"Steph? Is that you?"

"_Sure is! Maria I'm so happy to hear that you're okay. I can't believe those sons of bitches did that to you!" Stephanie said._

"I know right? But I'm glad to hear from you!" Maria smiled.

"_I'm glad to hear from you too! So, how are you and Chris doing? Are you guys dating?" _

"No we aren't Steph."

_Stephanie rolled her eyes. "And why not?"_

"Because—"

"Maria, can I get my phone back?" Vince said.

"Oh sorry. I'll talk to you later Steph!…yeah…I know we will! Alright…buh bye." Maria said before handing Vince's phone back to him.

"Yes…alright...okay…bye princess." Vince said before hanging up the phone. "So, Maria, I have decided not to put you in the show next RAW." Vince said.

"Oh…okay…I understand Vince." Maria frowned.

"It'll only be until you get better." Vince assured.

Maria nodded. Vince nodded as well and with that, he walked out Maria's hotel room, closing the door behind him.

She felt happy. Carlito and Santino were fired from the WWE, her friends stuck by her side, but the downside was, she couldn't be on RAW until she got better. She let out a sigh.

"I'm gonna miss being out there, hearing the fans…" Maria said to herself.

She called Ashley.

"Hey Ash?"

"_Ria, what's banging?" Ashley asked._

"Do you wanna go out tonight with the others? Maybe just go and eat at the café downstairs?"

"_Sure. I'll go tell them. I'll meet you down there at 7." Ashley said._

"Alright. Bye Ash."

Maria hung up the phone and walked over to her suitcase. She took out her make-up bag and brought it with her to the bathroom. She started doing her magic, covering up the black eye, the bruises, the cuts. She looked into the mirror. _Perfect. You can't see the black eye._ She looked at her phone. She had spent about 30 minutes on covering up her cuts and bruises. It was 6:37.

She went to her suitcase once more and took out her favorite Gucci sunglasses. Sure it might be dark but she didn't want anyone to recognize her and notice her black eye. She placed on her cami and she took out a stylish black Jazz hat from her suitcase.

She went downstairs to the café they were supposed to meet at. She waited a few more minutes and then she saw Ashley, John, Randy, Chris, and Mickie coming her way.

"Hey." she greeted.

"Hey babe. Mel, Candy, and Jeff said that they couldn't make it cuz they were dying Jeff's hair when I called." Ashley said.

"That's fine." Maria said.

They took their seats inside the café. Chris was having a conversation with Maria at their own table when someone called his name. he looked around to who could've been calling him.

"Jessica?" Chris said in disbelief.

"Hey Chris…I missed you…" she said.

Chris couldn't believe what was happening. His ex-wife said she missed him. And she was the one who asked for the divorce.

"Uhm, could I have a word alone with you Chris?" she asked.

"Uhm…sure." Chris said hesitantly.

Chris stood up but Jessica stopped him.

"Actually, I was thinking that we could talk here." Jessica said as she glared at Maria.

"Maria, could you?" Chris asked.

Maria nodded and she got up out of her chair. She held the chair out so Jessica could sit on it. Jessica faked a smile and she was about to sit on the chair but Maria pulled the chair out from under Jessica, causing her to fall flat on her butt.

"Oops. Sorry." Maria innocently shrugged her shoulders.

Chris bit his tongue so he could stop himself from laughing.

Maria bounced off with a smirk on her face. _Give me attitude, I'll return the favor._

**A/N: I hope you guys liked this chappy! OMFG. What's gonna happen now that Chris's ex wife has gotten into the picture? Find out next chappy. R&R please!**


	12. Gold Digger

**A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for all of your reviews! You guys are awesome! Here goes with the next chappy! Hope you like it! And please R&R!**

**Disclaimer: I still own nothing. :(**

* * *

Chapter 12: Gold Digger

**A week after Jessica showed up…**

The superstars and divas were at their next RAW show location, getting ready for the show. Maria was hanging out backstage, considering that she wasn't allowed to have a segment until she is better. She sat on a black trunk and sighed.

"Hey." a voice said.

She looked up to see who it was.

"Hey Chris." she beamed.

"I haven't seen you all week, how you holding up?" he asked, referring to her bruises and cuts.

_Yeah, you havent seen me all week cuz you're with that whore. _"I guess me and you have just been busy with other things. But I've been fine. My bruises are going away." she shrugged.

"Oh, that's good. So do you—"

"Hey Chris." Jessica appeared behind Chris.

"Oh hey Jess." Chris said as the two shared a hug and a kiss.

"Oh, hey Maria. I didn't see you there." she flashed Maria an obvious fake smile.

"Hey Jessica. Ooh, nice shirt. I'm glad to see a girl who isn't self conscious about her stomach. I mean, you do have a bump there but I'm glad to see you don't care." Maria smiled.

Jessica quickly crossed her arms over her stomach. "Thanks Maria. And I'm glad to see that you're doing fine too. I mean, I'm happy to see you're not shy to pose in playboy. But then again, there is _nothing there _to be shy about." Jessica retorted.

"Gee, thanks Jessica. That means a lot to me. And I appreciate you looking at my spread. Did you buy it?"

"Yes I did. And after I was done with it, I decided to do something useful with it. So I gave it to my dog to chew up." she smirked.

"Really? That's great. I mean, you're really helping me. You're contributing to how many people bought the magazine. Too bad you weren't approached. But then again, Hef does like girls who stay in shape. I guess that explains why he didn't ask you." Maria smiled.

Jessica glared at Maria and Maria simply smirked at her. Chris could feel the tension between the two. He got in between the two, hoping that they don't start fighting.

"So, uhm, Maria, I'll talk to you later. Come on Jessica." Chris said awkwardly.

"Alright. Bye Chris. Nice talking to you Jessica." Maria smirked.

"Bye Maria." Jessica smiled.

The ayatollah and his ex wife started walking away. Once they got halfway of the long hallway, Jessica stopped and kissed Chris on the lips for a countless amount of time. When they pulled away from each other, Jessica looked at Maria and smirked.

Maria couldn't believe how Chris could ever marry a woman with those kinds of attributes. How could a nice guy like him marry_ her_?

Maria sighed and she headed to the women's locker room. Once she got there, she sat on a bench and she let out a big sigh.

"Hey ria. Why so glum?" Melina asked.

"Chris. And his ex wife." she sighed.

"Aw, what happened?" she asked as she took a seat next to Maria.

"He…I don't know. It's just something about her doesn't seem right. I mean, she just shows up all of a sudden…"

"Don't worry about her. I've seen her, and oh boy, you have nothing to be jealous about." Melina giggled.

"Thanks Mel. I'm feeling a little bit better." Maria smiled.

"No problem babe." Melina smiled as she stood up. "Now if you'll excuse me…I have to ambush Beth." Melina giggled.

"Okay, go get her Mel!" Maria beamed.

Melina giggled and with that, the hellcat of the WWE left the women's locker room.

Maria still felt sad. _Wait a second…why do I even care? He obviously doesn't like me back…Maybe I should just get over it. _the brunette deemed. _Maybe I should…_

* * *

The ayatollah of rock n' rolla and his ex-wife hung out in his private locker room, catching up on each other's lives.

"So how are the kids?" Chris asked his former love.

"Ash is great. He's going to start kinder in August. And the twins are a handful as always." Jessica answered.

"Really? God, I miss them." Chris sighed.

"And they miss you too." Jessica smiled. "And if I didn't say this before…thanks for buying me stuff."

"It's no problem. I mean, it's for the kids right? I think Cheyenne and Sierra are going to love those big diamond earrings I bought them." Chris grinned.

"They will. You know the twins, they love shiny things." Jessica giggled.

"I can see where they get it from." Chris chuckled.

"So, when's your match against that Italian guy?"

"Oh right! Thanks for reminding me. I almost forgot about it. I'll see you when I get back." Chris rushed.

He grabbed his red Y2J vest (A/N: the one he wore yesterday on RAW) and he put it on. "Bye!" he rushed. He gave his ex wife a kiss on the forehead and with that, he rushed out of the room and headed to gorilla.

* * *

"I should go and tell him…But no, what if he still likes his ex? No…I have to go and catch him…" Maria said to herself as she paced back and forth through the women's locker room. "Okay." she sighed.

The brunette left the women's locker room and walked to Chris Jericho's locker room. "I hope he didn't leave yet." Maria said quietly. She finally got there. She stared at the name plate. _Now or never Maria…_ she raised her hand to knock when she heard a muffled female voice. Maria pressed her ear against the door and listened.

"Yeah I know. I got him to buy me gorgeous pairs of earrings. He thinks it's for the twins." Jessica giggled into her cell phone.

"_Where is he?" a male voice asked._

"He went out to the ring so I'm just hanging out in his locker room. And guess what? I got him to pay for our trip to Paris!" Jessica exclaimed.

_What? _Maria thought as she listened in.

"_What did you tell him?"_

"I told him I didn't have enough money to pay for the bills for Ash's school." Jessica smirked.

"_Good job baby!"_

"I know. So far, I've gotten him to buy me earrings, clothes, and even pay for some of the kids' clothes!"

"_I'm so proud of you. We can finally have a taste of the good life."_

"Baby, we've been having a taste of the good life. Now, we get to live it." Jessica grinned.

"_I never thought he would be that ignorant."_

"I know. But whatever. I even got him to buy new beds for the house!"

"_You are a true pro."_

"I know. I still can't believe I got 2 million dollars worth of stuff from the last guy."

"_I know. You only dated him for a month too! Imagine, you married this guy. He's sure to give you even more because you're taking care of his kids!"_

"I know. And then after I leave, we can finally be together and live happily ever after babe."

"_I know. Baby, I gotta go. Love you."_

"Bye baby!" Jessica said.

she hung up her phone and smiled.

"Why do I need a job? A gold digger is so much easier." Jessica grinned.

Maria gasped. She covered her mouth before she could do anything else.

* * *

**A/N: hope you guys liked it! I know. Not a lot of things are happening here. Sorry. But the next chappy will definitely be more interesting. R&R! please and thank you! :)**


	13. Drop Dead Bxtch

**A/N: Hey guys! Wow! 10 reviews? You guys are awesome! Sorry for the wait. I was busy kicking writers block's ass. :)**

**Disclaimer: I still own nothing. :(**

Chapter 13: Drop Dead Bitch

Maria couldn't believe what she had just heard. Chris's ex-wife? A gold digger? It was too much for Maria to take in. She kept thinking about how in the world Jessica could be a gold digger. She shook her head, trying to escape the her thoughts. She went inside the women's locker room.

"Hey ria." Ashley greeted.

"Hi ash. Who else is here?" Maria asked as she sat next to the self proclaimed dirty diva.

"Just, me, micks, candy, and mel. Why?"

"Micks! Candy! Mel!" Maria called after her best friends.

The three divas soon appeared into Maria's sight.

"What?!" Candice yelled.

"What happened?! Did someone hurt you?!" Melina and Mickie said as Mickie held a fire extinguisher in her hands like a baseball bat.

"Why?" Ashley looked up at the ceiling before she buried her face in her hands.

"Put the fire extinguisher down and come over here! I have something to tell you guys." Maria said.

"Candice, Mickie, and Melina sat around the bubbly brunette.

"What's up?" Melina questioned worriedly.

"Okay, so I was on my way to tell Chris something right? And then I was about to knock when I heard someone talking on the phone. It turned out to be Jessica and she was talking on the phone. She was like, 'I got Chris to pay for our trip to Paris but he thinks it for school' and then at the end, she was like, 'why do I need a job, a gold digger is so much easier' and then I left and came here." Maria explained.

"Whoa."

"Should I tell Chris?" Maria asked her friends.

"Of course!" Mickie said.

"But I shouldn't be meddling in their lives." Maria sighed.

"Wait a sec…What were you going to tell Chris?" Candice asked with a raised eyebrow.

Maria hesitated for a moment. "That's not important right now."

"Fine. But you should tell Chris." Candice agreed.

"But what if he doesn't believe me?" Maria sighed.

"He will. Just go tell him." Ashley smiled.

"Wish me luck." Maria sighed as she stood up.

"Luck!"

"I'll see you at the room!" Candice said.

Maria walked out of the women's locker room and started on her search for the ayatollah of rock n rolla.

She checked gorilla, the men's locker room, she didn't hear Chris in his locker room, and she asked people of they had seen him. Her last place to look was catering. She peeked inside the room and she saw him drinking water.

She walked inside and tapped him on the shoulder causing him to turn around to face the brunette.

"Oh, hey Maria." Chris smiled.

"Hi Chris…" Maria trailed off, unsure if she should tell him what she had heard.

Chris took notice of this. "Are you okay? Is something wrong?" Chris asked, concern in his voice.

Maria merely nodded. She took a deep breath. "Chris, I'm just going to come right out and say it…" she paused. "Jessica is a gold digger."

Chris was taken aback by what she had just said.

"No…No, she's not." Chris managed to say.

"Chris, you have to believe me. I heard her. Why would I lie about this?" Maria said.

"I don't know…you tell me. I know you don't like her but I never thought you would stoop so low to lie and say she's a gold digger." Chris shook his head.

"Why would I ever lie about something like this?" Maria responded.

Chris and Maria continued arguing.

The superstars and divas that were in the catering room when Maria arrived were no longer there.

Unbeknownst to the bubbly brunette and the self proclaimed man of a 1,004 holds, Jessica was listening to their every word.

_Shit. I thought that bitch was stupid! Thank god he doesn't believe her. She needs to stay away or else I won't get anything! What can I do? Wait a second…_ A smile crept onto Jessica's face. She walked away with a smirk on her face.

"Chris, I'm trying to help you!" Maria answered.

"I didn't ask you for your help! In fact, I don't need your help! I've been fine without your help! I don't need you!" Chris yelled at her.

"Chris, just listen to me! I would never lie about something like this! Especially when it concerns my friends!" Maria tried to reason with him.

"Why do you even care?! If it is true, which I'm not saying it is, why would you wanna help me?!" Chris asked.

"Because I—" she stopped herself from continuing.

"What? Huh? Because what?!" Chris urged.

"Because I like you! Alright? There! I said it. I'm trying to look out for you Chris so you don't end up getting hurt! I LIKE YOU. Alright?! But…But if…I…I don't know." Maria confessed.

She ran her fingers through her hair and swiftly walked away.

She heard Chris all after her but she refused to face him after her sudden confession to him. She blinked back a few tears and continued on her way to her rental car.

She arrived at her hotel room and she buried her face in her pillow.

"Sweetie, what happened?" Candice asked as she tried to comfort her friend.

"He…I…didn't…fighting…I…him…" Maria cried.

"Sweetie, you have to speak up. I can't understand you." Candice said.

Maria sat up and faced Candice. Her eyes were red and her face was flushed.

"I told Chris about Jessica and when I told him, he didn't believe me. We started arguing and then he started yelling at me saying, 'why do you even care?' and then I…I told him that I liked him and I walked away." Maria sniffled.

"Oh sweetie, I'm so sorry." Candice said as she gave the brunette a hug.

* * *

"Hey Chris? Are you okay?" Jessica asked from the passenger's seat.

"I'm fine." Chris uttered with no emotion.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm fine alright?!" Chris yelled.

Jessica jumped at his sudden anger.

"I'm sorry. I…I'm sorry." Chris apologized.

"It's fine. Your probably just stressed out." Jessica weakly smiled.

"Yeah that's probably it." he said, not taking his eyes off the road.

_Yeah. I'm probably stressed. I can't believe it. Maria… likes me? But she said that Jess was a gold digger. She can't be a gold digger. I mean, why would she? She has her job. Come on, she gets paid really well. Why in the hell would she need to be a gold digger? That's stupid. But…No. No. She can't._

Chris pulled into the hotel parking lot and parked his car. He and Jessica stepped out of the car and they proceeded to enter the hotel. They took the elevator up to their room and they went inside their hotel room. Jessica immediately went to the bathroom. She turned on the shower and closed the bathroom door. She took out her cell phone and dialed a familiar number. "Baby?"

"_Hey babe." a voice said._

"We have a problem." Jessica stressed.

"_Why? What happened?"_

"That brunette bitch found out about me. She told Chris and thank god he didn't believe her."

"_Shit. Are you sure he doesn't?"_

"Yeah. He doesn't believe her at all. But we need to do something about her. She's getting in the way of our happiness." Jessica ran her fingers through her hair.

"_I'll think of something."_

"Alright. I'll talk to you later baby. Love you." Jessica smiled.

"_Love you too."_

Jessica pressed the end button on her phone and she smirked. _Bitch, your going down._

The week passed. Chris and Maria crossed paths multiple times but both refused to look at the other.

Maria was about to step into her hotel room when she noticed a food cart with her name printed on a small card. She pushed the food cart inside her and Candice's hotel room and she sat on her bed.

"Candy, I found this outside of our room." Maria said.

"Check under the cover! Maybe it's a cake!" Candice smiled.

Maria giggled at her friend. "All right."

She lifted the cover off of the plate and was surprised.

"That's not a cake." Candice sadly said.

Instead of a cake under the cover, it was a simple note. Maria picked up the note and she read it aloud.

_Drop Dead Bitch.  
__Or else.  
__-your worst nightmare._

"What the hell is this?" Candice asked shocked.

"I don't know." Maria said as she stared at the note.

"Oh my god! Look, the Bitch part looks like it was written with blood." Candice gasped.

"Oh my god. I think it was." Maria said shocked.

"Who do you think sent it?" Candice asked.

"I have no idea."

**A/N: I know, nothing really happens here and again, sorry for the long wait! I hope this chapter pleases you guys! XD R&R please and thank you!**


	14. To Sue Or Not To Sue

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! They just made my day! You guys are so awesome! Here goes with the next chappy! :)**

**And btw, I know that the draft happened but for the sake of this story, Maria wasn't drafted to Smackdown!. (I still can't believe she's on there!)**

**Disclaimer: I still own nothing. :(**

* * *

Chapter 14: To Sue, Or Not to Sue

It has been a whole week since Maria's sudden confession to Chris. When they crossed paths, Maria refused to look at Chris.

Right now, Maria was waiting in Mr. McMahon's office at the arena they were currently at. He had called her in, but he had yet to show up. Maria sighed and looked at her phone. "Jeez, this guy is 20 minutes late…" Maria muttered to her self. She sat down on one of the chairs in front of Mr. McMahon's desk. She tapped her finger on the arm rest upholstery and ran her fingers through her hair. All of a sudden, the door opened and Maria's head turned quickly to face the door.

"Hello Maria. Sorry for the wait. That damn limo driver was late to pick me up." Vince said.

Maria merely nodded and watched him sit down across from Maria and intertwine his hands together on top of his desk.

"So, how have you been?" he asked.

"I've been feeling way better. I just really wanna get back in the ring." she smiled.

"That's what I like to hear." Vince chuckled. "So, since you are feeling better, I have decided that you should probably get back on TV."

"Really? That's so great! Thank you Vince!" Maria beamed.

"Not so fast Maria. Since you are just getting back, I wanna get you to ease in slowly. Tonight, you and Chris are going to have that date from the game show."

"Oh…" her expression dropped.

" 'Oh'? I thought you would be more excited." Vince stated.

"No, I am. It's just…" she paused. "No, it's fine. So, are we done?"

"Actually, no. Another reason why I called you in here was because the police want to know if you'll be taking Carlito and Santino to court."

Maria thought long and hard. "Can I get back to you on that?"

"Of course."

"So, am I done?" she asked.

"Yeah. You can leave. Are you sure you are alright?" he asked once more.

"Yes Vince. I'm fine." Maria smiled.

He nodded. She got up out the chair and stepped out of the room. She went to one of the more deserted hallways and leaned against the wall. She slid down and brought her knees to her chest. She thought about what she should do about Santino and Carlito. She ran her fingers through her hair and sighed. Her thoughts drifted off to Chris. She shook her head to get those thoughts out of her head. She refused to have anything to do with him. _He obviously doesn't like me back. What's the point?…_ Maria thought to herself as she stared at the floor.

"Maria?" she heard someone say.

She looked up to see Melina looking at her.

"Hey Mel." she forced a smile.

Melina sat down next Maria.

"You okay?" she asked.

"No…Vince asked me if I wanna take Santino and Carlito to court…I want to…but I don't wanna see them…" Maria sighed.

"You should take them to court." Melina suggested.

"Why? I don't wanna deal with it anymore." Maria said.

"My friend at home was raped once. She told me that she didn't take them to court. And she also said that was the worst mistake she made. She realized that if she had taken him to court, she would be finally done with him. She would have faced her rapist and not be scared of him anymore." Melina said.

"Really?"

"Yeah. She was really sad about it. But now, she's fine." Melina smiled.

"Alright. I'll take that in mind." she smiled.

"Okay good. Now come on. You shouldn't be here by yourself. You never know. The boogeyman could be here right now and he could stuff your mouth with worms." Melina giggled.

Maria playfully rolled her eyes. She stood up and helped Melina stand up. The two brunettes linked arms and walked to the ring.

There, was Mickie, Ashley, John, and Randy.

"Hey guys. Look who I picked up." Melina smiled.

"Hey ria." they greeted.

"Hey guys." Maria smiled.

She took a seat in one of the red arena chairs and watched her friends practice and train. She desperately wanted to get back in the ring and compete. No matter if she won or not. She just wanted to hear the fans' cheers and boos. She loved the atmosphere of Monday Night RAW. It was full of energy and the crowd was so active and into the storylines. She imagined herself in the ring at Wrestlemania 25 competing for the Women's Championship. She smiled at the thought of that really happening.

"Maria, do you wanna get in the ring?" Ashley asked as her forearms rested on the top rope.

"That's a stupid question!" Maria smiled.

She hopped over the barricade and stepped into the ring between the bottom two ropes.

"How about a mixed tag team match?" Randy suggested.

"Ooh! Yeah!" Mickie exclaimed.

"I'll be with Maria and Melina." Randy said.

"Yay! Come on babe!" Ashley smiled at John.

John smiled and shook his head.

"Ding Ding!" Mickie exclaimed.

They looked at her weirdly.

"What? We don't have the bell so I thought we would substitute." Mickie shrugged.

The group smiled at their energetic friend and laughed.

Randy and John started out the match. They locked up and Randy sent John into one of the corners.

"1...2...3...4..." Ashley counted.

Randy let go before she was able to count to five. He sent John into the turnbuckle opposite from them and John held his back in pain. The two got into the center of the ring and exchanged punches and kicks. John performed a textbook side Russian legsweep and Randy was laid out in the center of the ring. John did his 'you cant see me' gesture to Randy. He bounce off the ropes and did his 5 knuckle shuffle. Randy squirmed and flinched. He got on his feet and tagged in Maria. John smiled and he tagged in Ashley. "Come on babe, bring it on." Maria gestured. "If you insist." Ashley smiled.

The two divas locked up and Ashley got Maria into a headlock. Maria elbowed Ashley in the stomach until Ashley finally loosened her grip on Maria. Maria kicked Ashley in the stomach and sent Ashley to her knees. Maria lifted Ashley up and did a gut buster. Maria waited until Ashley stood up. Once Ashley stood up, Maria did her headstand into a neck scissors, followed by a heel kick. Ashley stumbled back to the ropes and lightly bounced off. Maria clotheslined Ashley and Ashley fell to the mat.

"How could you guys have a match without me?" someone said.

Maria looked up to see Chris there smirking with Jessica on his arm. Maria got so distracted, Ashley was able to roll her up for the pin.

"1...2...3..." Mickie counted. "Ding ding!"

Ashley helped Maria up and gave her a hug. "You did awesome." Ashley smiled.

"Thanks Ash. You didn't do so bad yourself." Maria giggled as she returned the hug.

"Hey Chris. Hey Jess." they greeted.

"Hey guys." Chris smirked.

"Hey." Jessica smiled.

Maria and Jessica locked eyes and Jessica smirked at her.

"Chris, Randy…" John smirked. "Triple Threat?"

"You read my mind." Chris smiled.

The three superstars got into the ring and started wrestling.

"Hey ria, we'll be back. We're gonna go get some water." Melina said.

"Alright. Could you grab me one too?" Maria asked.

"Sure." Melina smiled.

With that, the three divas left the ring and went backstage. Maria went up to Jessica.

"I know it's you." Maria fumed.

"Me what?" Jessica smiled.

"Don't act so stupid. I know its you who's been sending me those ridiculous notes."

"I'm not acting stupid. That's your job." Jessica smirked.

Before she knew it, Maria was about to do something she thought she would regret…

* * *

**A/N: hey guys! I hope you guys liked this chappy. And please tell me what you thought about the match. I'm not the best on matches so I would LOVE some feedback on it. R&R and please and thank you! :)**


	15. Regretful Actions?

**A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for the awesome reviews. You guys know you're made of pure awesomeness right? :) here goes with the next chappy.**

**Disclaimer: I still, sadly, own nothing. :( **

* * *

**Chapter 15: Regretful Actions?**

"_Don't act so stupid. I know its you who's been sending me those ridiculous notes."_

"_I'm not acting stupid. That's your job." Jessica smirked._

_Before she knew it, Maria was about to do something she thought she would regret…_

Maria lunged at Jessica and tackled her to the floor. She punched freely at Jessica and released all of her anger that was built up inside of her. "You gold digging slut!" Maria yelled at her.

* * *

"I can't believe Chris can't see what Jessica really is." Ashley sighed as she and her fellow divas were on their way back to the ring.

"I know…Does he know what in the hell he's doing to ria?" Mickie said before she took a swig of her water.

They heard screams and shouts.

"What the hell was that?" Melina asked as the divas stopped.

"Come on!" Ashley said.

The divas sprinted to the ring to see what was the commotion about.

There, they saw Randy and John trying to restrain Maria while Chris was checking on Jessica.

Maria kicked and struggled out of their grasp but they were too strong for her. She gave up and blew her hair out of her face.

Melina and the other divas sprinted towards Maria to check and see what had taken place in their absence.

"Ria! What happened?" Mickie exclaimed with a worried look on her face.

She refused to answer and just glared at Jessica, who was smirking at her while Chris was checking to see if she was alright.

She pulled her arms away from Randy's and John's grasp and swiftly walked off.

"Maria!" Ashley called out.

She kept walking and refused to look back. She walked out of sight, and went to her rental car.

* * *

"What the hell happened?!" Melina yelled to her co-workers.

"We don't know! We were having a triple threat and then we just see Maria beating the shit out of Jessica!" Randy responded.

Melina stormed towards Jessica.

"Are you the one sending her those stupid notes?!" Melina yelled at Jessica.

"What are you talking about?" Jessica said, trying her best to sound innocent.

"Notes? What notes?" Chris asked, puzzled.

"Maria has been getting these stupid notes that say 'Drop Dead Bitch' and the bitch part is always written in blood!" Melina exclaimed.

"What? That's ridiculous. Jess would never do something like that." Chris said.

"Ugh whatever!" Melina threw her hands up in anger. "Chris, if you're seriously gonna believe _her _over Maria, then I don't know what Maria saw in you." Melina stated.

She stormed off and went to find the brunette.

"Chris, you're being really stupid right now." Mickie sighed as she followed after the Latin brunette.

"Hey! Guys! Wait up!" Ashley called after her friends.

The blonde punk diva followed her fellow brunettes and left the ring.

* * *

Maria sat in silence in her rental car, taking in what had taken place at the arena. She ran her fingers through her hair and sighed. She didn't mean to hit her. It just happened. She just got caught in the moment. But she couldn't help but to feel better about it. All of the anger that was built inside her…it was gone. She felt accomplished. She felt emotionally stronger. In her mind, she pictured Chris caring for Jessica. She pictured Jessica stealing his money and then just leaving him heartbroken. She let a single tear escape her eyes and quickly wiped it from her cheek.

* * *

Chris had taken Jessica to the locker room to get her cleaned up. She had a cut on her lip but that was all.

"I can't believe she did that. I'm sorry Jess." Chris said to his former love.

"You know what, it's fine." Jessica said.

"Are you sure?" Chris asked.

"Yes Chris, I'm fine." Jessica urged.

"Okay…" Chris said. "I'll be right back."

With that, he left the locker room and started walking to nowhere in particular. He just needed a walk to clear his mind.

He sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair. He wanted to tell Maria that he felt the same but he just couldn't. He wanted to say it but the words didn't come out of his mouth. He felt this way about Maria for a quite a long time but he never was sure about her. He refused to break up their friendship.

He thought about the accusations of Jessica being a gold digger. _She couldn't be a gold digger…right? _he thought to himself repeatedly. Truth was, he didn't know the answer either. He forced himself to think that she couldn't. _She has a job back at home. She doesn't need to be one. _He realized that if he didn't know the answer, how could he be sure? _No. NO. she's not….she's not…_ he thought once more.

His thoughts drifted off to Maria once more. He saw the sadness and disappointment in her eyes when he looked at her during the previous squabble. He saw the innocence and frustration on her face. He never saw that side of her. He knew that frustrated side of her rarely showed. Is she right? Or is she just lying? Or is just simply a misunderstanding? He asked himself. He looked at his surroundings and saw that he stumbled out of the arena and into the arena parking lot.

There, he noticed a black car with what seemed to be a certain brunette. He walked up to the car and walked to the driver's side. His suspicions were true because there, the brunette was leaning her head on the tip of her wheel. He knocked on the window.

The brunette was startled and jumped in her seat, hitting her head on the roof of the car. She looked to the window and was surprised to see Chris there. She rolled down the window and just stared at him.

"Hey beautiful." Chris smiled.

"What?" she said rudely, trying her best to stay mad at the blonde.

"Someone's a little angry." Chris smirked.

_God, why does he have do that?? _"What do you want?"

"I wanted to see if you were alright…" Chris said awkwardly.

"Well, I'm fine. Why don't you go check on _Jessica_?" she rolled her eyes.

"I did. She's okay. Are we okay?" he asked.

She thought about her answer. She opened her mouth to answer but closed once again.

"No Chris. No we're not." she sighed.

She rolled up her window and locked the doors. She turned the engine on and drove off.

He sighed and ran his finger through his hair. He watched her drive off and into the street. He massaged the back of his neck and stood there, contemplating about what he should do.

* * *

Maria drove off to nowhere in particular.

She just needed to be far away from Chris. It hurt her to know that Jessica was just using him. She knew he would be heartbroken after, he would shut himself out from others.

She wanted to help him…_but how? _She asked herself in her head. _What can I do? He won't listen to me… _A part of her wanted to help, but the other just wanted to stay away. She was confused. She thought about what would've happened if Jessica hadn't come into the picture.

Would she and Chris be together? Or just friends? Multiple thoughts were running through the brunette's head. She parked in front of a electronics store and rested her forehead on the tip of her wheel and thinking her feelings.

* * *

Jessica was in the locker room, pacing. She never thought that the bubbly and perky brunette would even dare hit her. She pulled out her cell phone from her pocket and dialed and all too familiar number.

"Baby! God damn it!" Jessica groaned.

"_What's wrong babe?"_

"That bitch hit me!" Jessica exclaimed in disbelief.

"_Oh god. Are you okay?"_

"I'm fine. I just have a cut on my lip and a few small bruises." she sighed.

"_Baby, just hang on for a few more weeks. We almost have enough to support ourselves."_

"I'll try…" she sighed. "I'll talk to you later. Love you baby."

"_Love you too."_

She hung up and groaned in frustration. What was she to do? Chris doesn't believe her? Right? She had to be more careful. Chris would probably be suspicious of her now. She had to leave. _No. I can't. Not YET. _She nodded her head and decided to stay. Just for a little while longer. Only until she was sure she had more than enough to support her soon to be new life…

**A/N: hey guys. Hope this chappy satisfied you. R&R please and thank you. :)**


	16. A Day In Court

**A/N: hey guys. SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT. Darn writer's block. :( anyhow. Thanks for your guys' patience and thanks for reviewing. :) here goes with the next chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing at all.**

* * *

**Chapter 16: A Day in Court**

Maria had been thinking about Vince's question.

"_Actually, no. Another reason why I called you in here was because the police want to know if you'll be taking Carlito and Santino to court."_

She sighed and ran her hand through her brunette locks. She contemplated her thoughts and took a deep breath.

She then thought about Melina's words.

"_My friend at home was raped once. She told me that she didn't take them to court. And she also said that was the worst mistake she made. She realized that if she had taken him to court, she would be finally done with him. She would have faced her rapist and not be scared of him anymore." Melina said._

She sighed once more and looked at her cell phone.

She wanted to just be done with Santino and Carlito but…she couldn't. She wanted to see them suffer in jail for what they did to her. But she wasn't sure if she was strong enough to face them. But then she thought about Melina's words once more.

"_She would have faced her rapist and not be scared of him anymore."_

She made her decision and picked up her cell phone. She called Vince and after a few rings, he picked up.

"_Vince McMahon." He said sternly into the phone._

"Hey Vince? It's Maria." She said.

"_Oh, hello Maria. Have you thought about my question?" Vince asked._

"Yes sir, I have and…I've decided to take them to court." She stated.

"_Really? That's good to hear Maria. You'll need to come down to my office today so we can set things up."_

"Alright, I'll be there in 15 minutes." She said.

"_Okay, I'll see you then."_

Maria closed her phone and sighed. She changed into a pair of grey sweats and hiked them up to her shins, white tennis shoes, a black camisole, and a white hoodie.

She grabbed her car keys and her cell phone and went downstairs to the parking lot. She got inside her car and started the ignition. She drove to the arena and stepped out of the car and grabbed the keys out of the ignition. She locked her rental car and proceeded to the entrance of the arena. She walked to Vince's office and knocked several times before she heard a faint 'come in.' She opened the door and saw Vince sitting behind his wooden desk with his glasses on, reading a paper.

"Hey Vince." Maria greeted.

He looked up from his paper he was previously reading and set it down on top of his desk.

"Ah, hello Maria. How are you doing?" he asked.

"I've been better." Maria weakly smiled.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. But the lawyer I have hired for your case will be here shortly. "

Maria nodded and took a seat in front of Vince's desk.

Her new lawyer soon arrived with a black suitcase in her hand and a black professional suit on.

Vince and Maria both stood up to greet the new lawyer.

"Hello guys. My name is Ms. Alva but please call me Casey." She smiled as she shook both Vince's and Maria's hand.

"Hello Casey. I'm Vince McMahon and the little lady you're gonna be representing is right here." Vice gestured to Maria.

"Hi. I'm Maria Kanellis." Maria smiled.

"Nice to meet you both." Casey smiled.

They each took a seat around Vince's desk.

"Alright, let's get straight to business. The opposition is gonna call you out on a lot of things so you're gonna have to tell me everything that happened that night in full detail." Casey instructed.

Maria nodded and told her what had happened.

"Alright, that's good. Now, they're gonna be really harsh on you so be prepared for that."

They trio discussed multiple law related topics and the week past. The day finally came to appear in court.

Maria had been wearing a black pants that accentuated her curves, a white camisole with a black blazer over it. She had her hair flat ironed and she wore pointy heeled black boots. Her make up was simple; black eyeliner and mascara.

She drove to the court hall and proceeded to the court that she had to be in. Her lawyer was there already at the entrance and they went over some things. The court started and they took their seats.

Maria's lawyer and Santino and Carlito's lawyer kept presenting their case in ways Maria couldn't understand. She couldn't help but to glance and Santino and Carlito who were smirking. She quickly looked away and tried her best to not be scared.

* * *

Melina, Ashley, Mickie, John, Randy, Jeff, and Chris sat in the court and listened on as the lawyers fought back and forth, trying to persuade the jury to go their way.

"I hope ria wins this case." Ashley whispered to Mickie.

"I know…I feel so bad that this has to happen to her." Mickie whispered back.

* * *

Before Maria knew it, she was called to the stand.

She did her pledge not to lie under oath and sat down in the seat.

Casey stood up and started asking Maria some questions.

"What was your previous relationship to the defendants?" she asked.

"I was dating Santino." Maria answered.

"And had there been any previous abuse before the incident?"

Maria glance over to Santino. She quickly looked away. "…yes."

"Objection your honor! What is the point of these questions?" Santino and Carlito's lawyer said.

"Your honor, please it's very important." Casey said.

"Ms. Alva, please, just get to the point." The judge instructed.

"Yes, your honor…" Casey nodded. "Ms. Kanellis, how long has the abuse been going on?"

"After two months into our relationship." Maria answered.

"Your witness." Casey said as she sat back down.

Santino and Carlito's lawyer stood up.

"So, what were you doing that night of the alleged rape?" Santino and Carlito's lawyer asked her.

"I was getting raped?" Maria answered back in a 'what kind of stupid question is that?' tone as she looked at the judge.

"Mr. Hammond, please rephrase your question." The judge instructed.

Mr, Hammond nodded in response.

"My apologies judge. What were the events that led to the alleged rape?" he asked.

"A few days before the incident, I've gotten a series of love notes from a secret admirer, telling me to meet them at the bar at 8, the night of the incident. I was at the bar waiting for my admirer to show up and then someone grabbed me from behind and dragged me into this room. The next thing I know, I'm tied up to a chair." She answered.

"And what did you do after you were tied up to the chair?" he asked.

"I asked who it was and why they're doing this and then I noticed it was Santino and then he just punched me and slapped me and then after he left, Carlito was left to watch me. I tried to escape but I couldn't because Carlito kicked me in the face and then everything went black. " she said.

"And what do you remember after that?" he asked.

"That's it your honor."

* * *

Chris watched as the Mr. Hammond began to make Maria cry because he had brought up some bad memories. He couldn't bear to watch her suffer like this. _God, why did this have to happen to her? She never did anything bad… _He wanted to just punch the lawyer in the face and do the same to Santino and Carlito if he could. He looked at Maria's mascara stained tears and couldn't help but feel bad and helpless. He couldn't do anything to help her.

* * *

Maria was finally able to sit down in her previous spot as she calmed down.

The trial went on and she got nervous because it was near ending. She desperately wanted to hear the verdict and she wanted to hear a 'guilty' from the judge's voice.

"Will the defendants please rise." The judge said.

"The jury finds the defendants, guilty of all counts." One of the jury members said.

Maria smiled and hugged her lawyer.

"Thank you so much Casey." Maria smiled.

Casey smiled back in return and nodded.

Maria watched as the police officers put Santino and Carlito in handcuffs.

She left the court hall and she stood at the entrance.

She was greeted by a group hug from Ashley, Mickie, and Melina.

"Mel, you were right. I did feel better." Maria smiled.

"That's good to hear ria." Melina smiled.

"Ohmigod. I got so nervous." Ashley giggled.

"I didn't. I knew you would win ria." Mickie smiled.

"Thanks guys." Maria smiled.

She hugged John, Jeff, and Randy and thanked them for coming to support her.

She looked at Chris and she didn't know what to do.

"Thanks for coming." Maria said.

"No problem." Chris smiled.

It felt so good to hear her voice talking to him.

"Ria, come on! We're going out to celebrate." Mickie exclaimed.

She left Chris and went over to where the girls where.

Chris sighed and went over to where the guys were.

* * *

**A/N: hope you guys liked this chappy and again, sorry for the long wait. Review and tell me what you think. :)**

**oh yeah, i wrote a one shot fic so please check it out.**

**it's called, 'still in love' and it's kennedy x melina**

** :)**


	17. A Reconciled Friendship

**A/N: hey guys, sorry for the long wait. I just started high school and I FINALLY know how to open my locker! :D my friends had to explain to me like, 4 times. xD and I'm also seriously sore from volleyball tryouts. Sad news, I didn't make the team. :( OH WELL. Anyhow, I think I'm babbling. Yeah, I am. Anyhow, thanks to the those who reviewed, you guys already know you're awesome ! And here goes with the next chappy ! Please read and review! Reviews make me smile ! :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone. The only thing I own is the idea.**

* * *

**Chapter 17: A Reconciled Friendship.**

It has been a whole week since that day in court. Maria was finally happy and free from worry. She was relieved that she no longer had to worry about the Italian and Caribbean cool.

She was sitting in a café near the hotel with her best friends: Ashley, Mickie, and Melina.

"Ria, you're coming with us to the arena today right?" the dirty diva herself, Ashley, asked.

"Yeah, of course!" Maria beamed.

"Awesome." Ashley smiled after she took a bite of her breakfast bagel.

The four divas continued on with their breakfast. After 15 minutes, each were done with their meal and paid for their food. They each went up to their hotel rooms to get changed into training clothes. The four divas met up in the lobby and got into Mickie's rental and car and was on their way to their arena.

* * *

Jessica had woken up to the ringing of her cell phone. She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand and looked around the room. Chris was nowhere in sight. She groaned as she grabbed her cell phone and flipped it open.

"Hello?" she greeted groggily.

"_Babe? It's me." the voice said._

"Oh, hey baby." Jessica perked up.

"_So I counted the money you mailed here and I think we officially have enough to support ourselves." _

"Really?!" Jessica exclaimed.

"_Yeah, so you can come back now. I already arranged for a plane at four in the afternoon today."_

"Thank god, I don't think I can take anymore of this." Jessica laughed.

"_Babe, we're finally gonna be happy."_

"I can't wait." Jessica grinned. "…Christian Cage…I love you so much."

"_I love you too babe."_

Jessica smiled as she hung up the phone. She remembered the first day the two of them ever met.

_WWE was in Canada for a taping and Chris was able to score Jessica a backstage pass. He introduced her to all of his friends, and one particular one caught her eye._

"_Babe, this is my best friend, Christian Cage." Chris said._

_The two shook hands._

"_Nice to meet you milady." Christian grinned._

"_Mr. Jericho, you're needed on gorilla." a passing crew member said._

"_Oops, sorry babe, show time. Do you mind staying with Christian?" Chris asked._

"_It's not a problem babe." Jessica smiled._

_The couple shared a kiss and Chris was off to gorilla. Christian had brought Jessica back to his private locker room, considering he was a title holder._

"_So, how--"_

_Before Christian could even finish his sentence, Jessica jumped on top of him and started to kiss him. It took Christian a while to process what was happening, but soon, he happily responded. He kissed her back and it got hot and steamy._

* * *

Chris was training at the arena with John and Randy when he heard his ringtone. He slid out of the ring and proceeded to his gym bag. He found his cell phone in the side pocket and flipped it open.

"Hello?" Chris greeted, out of breath.

"_Hey Chris, it's me."_

"Oh, hey Jess. What's up?" Chris asked.

"_Not much, just packing."_

"Packing? What for?" Chris questioned.

"_Home. Don't you remember? We kinda have kids. Remember, Ash? Cheyenne? Sierra? Ash is starting school and I want to be there on his first day."_

"Of course I wouldn't forget!" Chris chuckled. "Alright then. Call me when you land so I know you got there safe."

"_Alright, Bye Chris."_

Before Chris could say bye, he heard the other line click.

He flipped his cell phone shut and put it back in his gym bag. He rolled back into the ring and sat on the top rope as John and Randy were practicing for their match.

"Whew! It smells stinky in here!" Maria scrunched her nose as her, Melina, Mickie, and Ashley walked down the ramp.

John and Randy stopped with their pretend match and looked up at the divas. John rolled out of the ring and greeted Ashley with a kiss.

"Hey babe." John grinned.

"Hey." Ashley smiled.

John was about to hug her when she took a step back.

"What?"

"You're all sweaty." Ashley said.

John rolled his eyes and went back into the ring.

"Hello ladies." Chris and Randy greeted.

"Hey guys!" the divas greeted.

Chris jumped onto the apron, and then onto the floor. He walked over to Maria and pulled her away from the rest of the group.

"Uhm, can I talk to you?" Chris asked.

Maria looked at her friends and each of them made a gesture that said that she should.

"Erm, sure." Maria answered.

The brunette and the blonde walked somewhere more private.

"So…" Chris said as he rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, a habit of his whenever he was nervous.

"Look, what is it?" Maria said sternly, wanting to get this over with.

"Well, I was wondering if we could…" Chris started out. "…if maybe we could be friends again. Like how we used to be."

Maria stared at him. She looked into his eyes and saw sadness. She couldn't help but feel sad as well. She could tell he was being sincere and that he honestly missed her.

"…I would like that." Maria sincerely smiled.

Chris looked at her face and his face lit up as well.

The two shared a hug but Maria pulled away.

"Isn't Jessica gonna be mad at you for being friends with me?" Maria rolled her eyes.

"I think she's gonna be okay with it." Chris grinned.

Maria looked at him oddly.

"She's going back home to the kids because Ash is starting school." Chris explained.

Maria nodded and smiled.

The two went back to the group with a smile on each of their faces.

"So, like. Is the war over?" Mickie asked.

Maria playfully rolled her eyes.

"Yes Micks. The war is officially over." the bubbly brunette smiled.

"Yay!" Ashley clapped with a grin on her face.

"Do you think now they'll get together?" Melina whispered to Ashley.

"I have no idea." Ashley whispered back.

Chris went back to his training with a smile on his face. He was back to being friends with Maria but in his mind, he knew he wanted to be more. He knew that, well, he fell in love with the bubbly brunette from the moment he met her. He wanted to be the one she called, 'boyfriend.' But for now, he'll take what he can get. And if all he can get was friendship, so be it. Not talking to the brunette was bad enough.

Maria watched from the apron as the guys practiced. She was happy. Chris and her were friends again. She was happy that she was no longer fighting with him. She was mostly happy because Jessica was no longer here. But In the back of her mind, she was thinking, _I don't think Jessica is going back home for Ash._

* * *

**A/N: What'd you guys think? Leave a review! Oh, and just to let you all know…This story is coming closer to its end. oh, and also, i just recenty posted a one shot and it's called, 'Wrong Idea'**


	18. Disastrously Beautiful

_**a/n: Sorry for the wait guys ! Like, really, truly, sorry ! So much homework and like, starting high school has been pretty hectic for me. But I'm back so yeah ! Anyways, thanks to those who reviewed. You guys already know your awesome right?**_

_**Oh, and to those people whose stories I alerted? Sorry for not reviewing lately. I've been, fan fiction socially inadequate. . so, again, sorry. Its not that I haven't been reading or that I fell out of love with your story, its because I've learned that I probably have too less time on my hands. In my email, I have currently 108 chapters of stories I need to read. -.- so, be patient please. (:**_

* * *

_**Chapter 18: Disastrously Beautiful Night.**_

Chris Jericho woke up with a smile that morning. He was ecstatic that he and Maria had finally gotten over that minor — no, major — setback. He smiled, because today, he had something planned for the bubbly brunette to show how much he values their friendship. And maybe, just maybe, this surprise would make the 2008 playboy cover girl fall in love with him.

_Today is gonna be a good day. _Chris smiled to himself.

He looked at the clock. It was 11:38am. He had planned something special for him and the bubbly brunette. He stretched a bit to wake him up. He grabbed some clothes and went into the bathroom. He discarded his beater and his boxers off of his body and got into the shower. He turned on the water and splashed some water onto his face.

_I really hope this turns out well… _The self proclaimed sexy beast (a/n: its true, he is. xD) thought to himself.

* * *

Maria awoke to the sun shining in her face.

"Wake up Maria ! The sun came up to see you !" the dirty diva smiled.

"Ugh, I'm too lazy. Tell the sun to come back in 2 more hours." Maria groaned.

"No, sleepyhead. The sun can't do that. Or else the sun will make you look at its rays and blind you." the punk princess exclaimed as she jumped on the brunette's bed. "Now wake your pretty ass up !" Ashley exclaimed.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm up." Maria said groggily as she rubbed her eyes with the back of her hands.

"C'mon, get ready. I'm taking you out for breakfast today." the punk rock diva smiled.

"Alright." the bubbly brunette yawned as she stretched out her arms.

Maria reluctantly got out of her bed and unto her feet. She yawned once more and went to her suitcase. She grabbed some clothes and went into the bathroom.

She changed into a pair of sweats, a black t-shirt, & flip-flops. She hiked up her sweats to her shins and fixed her brunette locks into a messy ponytail. She gave herself a once-over in the mirror and nodded. She went back to her bed and sat down at the edge of it.

"So where are we going for breakfast?" Maria asked.

"The hotel café." Ashley said as put on her left shoe. "Alright, you ready to go?" she asked.

"Yup." Maria smiled.

The two former playboy cover girls left their hotel room and took the elevator down to the lobby.

* * *

Chris took the elevator down to the lobby to get a something to eat. He went to small café in the hotel and got in line. He got to the cashier and ordered his food. As he was paying, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Maria and Ashley were arriving. He paid for his food quickly and grabbed his tray. He walked faster to catch up with them.

"Hello ladies." Chris smiled.

"Oh, hey Chris." Maria smiled genuinely.

"Hey Chris." Ashley greeted. "Maria, what do you want to get?" Ashley asked.

"Ham and cheese croissant please." Maria beamed.

"Got it, babe." Ashley smiled.

Ashley left the two to go order their breakfast.

"So…"

"Yup…"

"So, we're friends right?" Chris asked nervously.

"Of course Chris, why?" Maria asked with genuine interest.

"Well, I was wondering if you wanted to go out to dinner tonight." Chris asked.

"Sure, that sounds nice." Maria beamed.

"Really? Okay, great. I'll pick you up at your hotel room at 8." Chris beamed.

"Okay. Well, are you eating here? Because if you are, you're welcome to join me and Ashley."

"Sure, that sounds great." Chris lit up.

The two sat down at the table and the punk princess soon arrived with both hers and the bubbly brunette's breakfast. The trio talked about random things . Soon enough, the day went by…

* * *

**7:00PM that day.**

"Babe…what looks better?" Maria asked .

"Uhm, the purple one." Ashley answered as she held up a purple drape halter chain belt shirt.

"Alrighty then." the bubbly brunette smiled .

The bubbly brunette grabbed her clothes and went into the bathroom to get ready. When she emerged from the bathroom, she glowed radiance. She was wearing the purple drape halter chain belt shirt, skinny jeans that complimented her body, purple suede ruched round tow low heel flat boots, and purple hoop earrings. She had on smokey eyeliner, and a light purple eyeshadow that complimented her emerald green eyes.

"Awww…babe…you look so cute!" Ashley beamed.

"Really ? Oh ! Thank god." the bubbly brunette sighed in relief.

"Ooh ! With just 15 minutes to spare." Ashley smiled.

"Thank goodness."

"So…do you still like him?" she asked.

"Depends what you mean by like…" Maria sighed.

"Like…like-like him."

"…I…think so…" Maria pondered.

"You think?"

"Well yeah…I…I…guess I do." Maria lightly smiled.

"Awwh…how sweet." Ashley smiled brightly.

Chris was just adding finishing touches to his hair. He was wearing a nice black button up long sleeve shirt, nice blue jeans, and shoes. His hair was spiked up as its usual. He looked at himself in the bathroom mirror and sighed a I-hope-this-goes-all-well sigh. He grabbed his phone and his card key and slid them into his jeans pocket. He looked at the clock. It was 7:30PM. He sighed and impatiently waited until it was time to pick up Maria. While waiting, he contemplated what would happen when he and the bubbly brunette went out to dinner. Would it still be like old times? Or would it be awkward? During the blonde's thinking, time passed. When he looked at the clock once more, he saw it was already 7:50PM. He was surprised at how long it had been and how easily time had escaped. He quickly looked at himself once more in the bathroom mirror on the way out. "Still lookin' good." Chris smiled to himself as he walked down the hall to the elevator. He pressed the up button and soon, an elevator out of the 6 arrived. He stepped inside and pressed the 20 button on the row of buttons on the left hand side of the elevator. He impatiently waited until he passed every floor until he heard a chime, indicating that he reached his desired destination. He went to Maria's hotel room and took a deep breath. He raised his hand to knock on the door and he knocked several times until someone opened the door.

When Chris saw Maria open the door and she fully revealed how she looked, Chris had his breath taken away. Maria looked beautiful in his eyes and she glowed warmness and radiance. She was a beautiful vision of purple that highlighted her emerald green eyes that seemed as if you could get lost in them if you gazed at them long enough.

Chris had been consumed in looking at Maria, gazing at her.

"…Chris?" Maria waved her hand in front of his face.

Chris snapped back to reality and he felt himself get red. "Oh, sorry." he smiled sheepishly.

Maria giggled. "It's okay. I know you must've been hypnotized by how gawjuss I look." Maria laughed.

Chris chuckled, "Oh, that's right. You're just hypnotizing to look at." Chris smiled. _oh,__ you have no idea._

Maria giggled once more. _Maria, get a hold of yourself! You're giggling like a teenager during sex ed!_

"Well…we should get going, yeah?" Maria asked with a smile as she closed her hotel room door and adjusted her purse on her shoulder.

"After you." Chris smiled.

Maria smiled warmly at him and proceeded to the hotel elevator, he following close behind. The two went down to the lobby, then to the valet, asking for Chris's rental car.

The valet returned in a black mustang, behind the wheel. He stepped out of the car, returning the car keys to Chris. Chris opened the door for Maria, whom said thank you.

Chris went around the car to the driver's side. The valet was holding his hand out for a tip. Chris slapped it, giving him a high-5.

"Thanks man." Chris smiled as he got into the car.

The valet sighed, "Cheap-o."

Chris drove off to a restaurant, one which was ocean side. It took them nearly 30 minutes to get to their destination. Chris parked the car and hurried out of the car to open the door for the brunette. She stepped out, and she lit up the night sky. Maria linked her arm with Chris's, and the two walked inside the restaurant.

Maria waited by the door while Chris went up to hostess to ask for his reservation. She nodded her head and smiled. Chris gestured for Maria to come over, and she did so. The two linked arms once again as they followed the hostess to their seats.

The hostess led them to an a candlelight table on the balcony which was hovering over the ocean.

Chris had pulled out the chair for Maria and she gladly sat. Chris sat down across from her and watched Maria as she looked at her surroundings.

Maria looked at everything around her. It was so beautiful to just look at. The hostess left but Maria couldn't help but notice that the hostess winked at Chris with a smile. She couldn't help but feel jealousy run through her veins. She blinked hard, and tried to calm down. She put it in the back of her mind and tried to focus on this dinner.

The two sat and ate their dinner, conversating as well between bites. The dinner passed and the two were glad about their friendship. Chris had called for the check, and it arrived in several minutes.

Chris had put his credit card into the check holder, sliding it into the little pocket. The waiter returned and took the check holder, carrying back inside.

"Well…what'd ya think?" Chris asked.

"Well…I have to be honest Chris…I didn't like it." Maria sighed.

Chris was taken aback, had she really said that?

"Oh…really?" Chris asked, still in shock and a bit hurt.

"Yeah. I didn't like it…I _loved _it." Maria smiled and giggled.

Chris let out a breath of relief. "Oh, good. You scared me there for a second." Chris smiled.

Maria simply smiled innocently and shrugged her shoulders.

The waiter returned with a look of uncertainty on his face.

"Excuse me sir, but your credit card isn't working." the waiter had said.

"What? No, there has to be a mistake." Chris said.

"I'm sorry sir, but I tried it multiple times but it always said declined."

Chris ran his right hand through his hair. "How could this have happened…" Chris asked himself. "Here, try these." Chris said, taking out his wallet, taking out all of his credit cards.

"I'll be back shortly sir."

The waiter had taken the 5 credit cards Chris told him to try and returned back inside.

"I don't believe how this could've happened…" Chris said.

"Maybe something's wrong with the computer…" Maria said as she stood up and went behind Chris's chair, massaging his shoulders to try and maybe calm him down and maybe help him relax.

The waiter returned with Chris's credit cards.

"I'm sorry sir, but none of your cards are working." the waiter said.

"Here, take mine." Maria said as she scurried to her seat and took out her wallet from her purse. She handed the waiter her credit card.

"Use this." Maria said.

"I'll be back shortly." the waiter said.

"Maria, you didn't have to." Chris said.

"But I want to." Maria smiled.

"I promise, If your credit card works, I'll pay you back as soon as possible." Chris said.

"It's fine, you don't have to." Maria smiled as she went back to massaging Chris's shoulders.

"But I want to." Chris smiled.

Maria smiled at him and waited for the waiter to come back.

"Here you go ma'am, the transaction worked." the waiter smiled.

"Good, well, we'll be on our way then. Thank you so much for helping us." Maria thanked the waiter.

"It's of nothing ma'am." the waiter smiled.

Maria picked up her purse from her seat and waited for Chris to get up from his seat. The two linked arms once again, and they walked back to their car.

"Can I just make a call real quick?" Chris asked as the two got settled into the car.

"Sure, no problem." Maria smiled.

Chris smiled at her. He took out his phone and dialed his accountant's number.

"Uh, yeah, hey Joe, it's Chris. Something's going on with my credit cards. None of them are working…No, I haven't made that much purchases on this…Yeah I did, I gave it to my ex-wife, Jessica to use for the kids…no…no, you're kidding me…no, it can't be true…what purchases have been made?…hmmm…goddamnit…no, I haven't…SHE WHAT?! Alright then…thanks Joe, can you try and maybe track all of her purchases down and maybe return them?…alright…thanks man, bye."

Chris hung up his phone and sighed as he ran his hand through his hair.

"Jess took all my money. She used it to buy tickets, clothes for herself, everything. She maxed out everything…" Chris said to Maria.

"Oh, Chris…I'm so sorry." Maria said genuinely.

"I can't believe it…you were right." Chris said.

"Right now, it doesn't matter. Your kids are being left alone by her. You should probably go back home and maybe sort this whole thing out." Maria suggested.

"That's a good idea. Would you be willing to come with me?" Chris asked.

"Uhm. Well…sure, why not?" Maria smiled.

"Awesome." Chris smiled as he took her hand in his.

Maria looked at their hands then back at him. She smiled and the car started. Chris drove off, heading back for the hotel. The ride back was a bit awkward, but not at the same time.

The two got back to the hotel, and Chris handed the keys to the valet and the brunette and the blonde went inside the hotel lobby. Chris walked Maria back to her hotel room.

The two stood outside of her hotel room door and Maria gave Chris a hug. Chris didn't want let go, and was surprised when Maria hadn't pulled back yet. The two stood outside her hotel room, hugging the whole time.

"You should go inside now." Chris whispered.

Chris whispering in her ear brought shivers down Maria's spine. She nodded gently, still not letting go.

"When are we leaving for Canada?" Maria asked softly.

"I was thinking about tomorrow. I'll have to call the airport, reserve our tickets." Chris said.

"Alrighty then." Maria said.

"I'll give you a call tomorrow morning about what's gonna happen." Chris said.

"Okay." Maria nodded gently once more.

The two embraced for several more moments, until they finally let go of each other. The two looked at each other, wanting each other to just hold them for the rest of their lives.

Their faces got closer and closer until the gap between closed, their lips pressed on the other's lips. Anyone passing by would've thought that the two were together for quite some time.

When they pulled back, Chris gave Maria another hug.

"You should get inside." Chris said.

Maria nodded and smiled. She took out her card key from her purse and slid it into the card lock. The light flashed green, and Maria turned the knob to the open the door.

"Good night Chris."

"Good night gorgeous."

Maria smiled and went inside, reluctantly closing the door.

…_I __love you._


	19. Three Little Words

**Author's Note**: hey guys. I know I've been MIA on fan fiction but hey, I'm back, finally. Leave lots and lots and lots of reviews(: it will totally make my day(:

And thank you to those who reviewed the last chapter, you guys are awesome, you know that right?

* * *

**Chapter 19: Three Little Words.**

Chris got off the phone and sighed with relief. He had just gotten off the phone with the airport and he was able to snatch up two seats for a very cheap price, though he promised an autograph and a picture to the employee he was talking to. He looked at the clock and saw that it was 8:03AM. Susan, the employee, said that their flight was at twelve noon and that they had to be at the airport around 10:45AM.

Chris took out his phone and dialed Maria's number. After several rings, she finally picked up.

"Hello?" Chris heard her say groggily.

"Good morning beautiful. Hope I didn't wake you up." Chris said.

"Oh, hi, and yes, you did wake me up, but it's okay. I like waking up to your voice." Maria smiled through the phone.

"Well, that's certainly a good thing." Chris grinned.

"So, uh…" Maria blanked out for a few moments. "Oh! The tickets. How'd it go?" Maria asked.

"Oh! Right. Well, I called the airport earlier and I was able to get us some cheap tickets and our flight is at noon but we have to be at the airport by ten forty-five." Chris explained.

Maria paused, listening carefully. "…Alrighty then. I'll get packed up, and when you're done packing up, you can come over if you want." Maria offered.

"Actually, I already packed up yesterday, so maybe I'll just come over and help you pack now? Or would you like to eat breakfast first?" Chris asked.

"Breakfast!" Maria replied instantly.

Chris chuckled over the phone. "Alright then, breakfast it is, gorgeous. I'll be there in fifteen minutes so you can have time to get ready."

"Alright, bye cutie!" Maria giggled and smiled.

She hung up and rushed out of bed. She went to the drawers and rummaged through her clothes, trying to look cute but nothing too fancy. She smiled as she found a nice outfit to wear. She picked out a white shirt that had a black smiley face printed onto it. She put on black cuffed up shorts and she put on white low top air forces. She put her hair in a messy bun and she put on black eyeliner and mascara.

When she was satisfied with how she looked, she was surprised that she was able to fix herself in thirteen minutes. She looked at her sleeping punk rock roommate and smiled.

She jumped on the punk rock diva's bed which awoke the blonde.

Ashley screamed in surprise and rolled off of her bed with a thump.

"Oww …" Ashley mumbled from the floor.

"Oops, sorry babe." Maria said innocently.

"Yeah, it's alright, I guess …" Ashley grumbled as she crawled back up to the bed. "What did you wake me up for anyways?"

"Well … I'm going to Canada today at noon!"

"Oh, I see. That why you look extra cutesywutesy today." Ashley laughed.

"Well … Really? Awesome. But yeah, anyways … We kissed yesterday too!" Maria smiled.

"Ah, that's why you're extra bubbly too." Ashley smirked.

"Yes, Ash, I'm extra everything." Maria said sarcastically.

"Even horny?" Ashley laughed.

"Pervert."

"Love you too!"

The two laughed with each other, until they heard a knock on the door.

"That's him." Maria smiled with excitement.

"Well, go!" Ashley said.

"Oh, right. You're gonna help me pack later right?" Maria asked.

"I don't really have a choice do I?"

"Nope, bye!" Maria smiled.

She opened the hotel room door and saw Chris. He was dressed in his usual: a white T-shirt, blue jeans, black shoes.

"Good morning cutie." Maria smiled.

"Good morning to you too, gorgeous." Chris smiled in return.

Maria was debating whether to kiss him on the cheek or on the lips. _Should I? _Maria decided.

She got on her tiptoes and kissed Chris on the lips for several moments. When the two broke apart, Maria's cheeks had turned a crimson red and Chris had a smile on his face.

"It's a very good morning." Chris grinned as he put his arm on Maria's shoulder.

"So, where are we going for breakfast?" Maria asked, hoping to get the red off her cheeks as the two started walking towards the elevator.

"Downstairs at the café again, is that okay with you?" Chris asked, as the two got onto the elevator and pressed the Lobby button.

"That's absolutely perfect." Maria smiled.

Chris smiled at her. He wasn't quite sure what they were, but he was satisfied enough with whatever this was going to blossom into. They made their way down to the small quaint café in the hotel and placed their orders and paid, receiving their breakfast in a flash.

The two sat down in the back of the café, unnoticed, thankfully. They ate their breakfast and conversed with each other, on the topic of what to do once they get to Canada.

"So, that's the plan, then." Chris smiled as he stood up, getting ready to leave.

Maria nodded her head in agreement and she stood up as well.

The two wrestlers left the small café and went back up to the bubbly diva's hotel room to pack her belongings.

The brunette slid in her card key and turned the knob when the light turned green.

"Lucy, I'm home!" Maria giggled.

"Ha ha, very funny." Ashley smirked as she leaned her weight on her left leg.

"Yes, I know. When I retire with my eight Women's Championship reigns, I should become a stand up comedianette." Maria giggled.

"Comedianette? I don't think that's a word." Chris said.

"Well, now it is. Official definition for 'comedianette' is that it is a female comedian." Maria beamed.

Ashley rolled her eyes at her best friend and smiled.

"Come on, kid. Let's get you packed up for Canada." the dirty diva smiled.

The two blondes helped their bubbly and vivacious friend pack her belongings.

"I would love to you see wear this." Chris smiled as he held up a headband, thinking it was a tube top.

"Chris, that's a headband. You know. For my hair? Not my chest." Maria said, as she took the headband he was holding and placed it in her bag.

Chris shrugged his shoulders in a 'don't-blame-me,-I'm-a-guy,-I-don't-know-girl-stuff' kind of way.

"Just help us pack, will ya?" Ashley said as she threw a shirt at Chris's head.

Chris took the shirt off of his head and placed it in one of Maria's bags.

The trio were packing for several more moments until they finally finished and zipped up the luggage cases.

"Finally. I never knew how much clothes you have, Ria." Ashley said as she collapsed on her bed.

The bubbly diva shrugged her shoulders in an innocent manner and smiled at her punk rock friend. She was thrilled to have a friend like her.

"Babe, you should go now. It's already ten o' clock." the punk rock diva said as she glanced at the digital clock on the bedside table.

"Oh, so it is." Maria said as she looked at her packed belongings.

She gave the punk princess a long hug, as the punk rock diva wished her and Jericho luck on their situation at hand. The brunette and the blonde diva exchanged their goodbyes and the brunette and the blonde superstar went on their way down to the lobby with their belongings in hand after going to the superstar's room to get his belongings. They called for a cab which arrived several more minutes later.

After the cab ride, they arrived at the large airport and went inside, going through the regular security and luggage checkpoints. After a few more checkpoints, they were at the waiting area for their incoming flight.

About an hour and a half later, they were bored out of their minds. They played several games to pass time, until the brunette dozed off.

"_Attention passengers, we are now boarding for flight number A294K to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada."_

The blonde slowly nudged at the brunette to wake up. He nudged at her several more times until he heard her stirring.

"Huh?" she said, stirring.

"Wake up, gorgeous. They're boarding now." Chris said, helping her to sit up.

She groaned as her eyes adjusted to the bright lights in the area. She slowly stood up, trying to rub the sleep out of her eyes, until she finally perked up. She picked up her carry-on, an oversized tote bag, and stretched her arms, waking up her muscles.

The two got in line to board the plane and after several more minutes, they were boarding the plane, getting adjusted to their seats.

"Are you sure you don't want the window seat?" Maria asked Chris as she placed her bag under the seat in front of her.

"I'm fine, don't worry." he smiled at her reassuringly.

She nodded as a response and looked out the window. She saw airport employees buzzing around, getting everything in place.

"So, how are you going to go about this?" the brunette asked.

It took Chris a moment to understand what she was referring to, until he used his common sense to figure it out.

"Oh, well … I was thinking of going to my house and talk to her about it." he shrugged. "What do you think?"

"I think that'll be good." Maria said, unsure of his plans, but trying not to show it.

The seatbelt light switched on and the plane could be seen moving down to the take off ramp.

"_Welcome ladies and gentlemen to flight A294K, which is headed to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Please direct your attention to the TV in front of you and watch the safety video, which will instruct how to be ensure your safety on the flight. Also, please buckle in your seatbelts, for we are ready to take flight."_

The bubbly diva and the Canadian buckled their seatbelts and watched the safety video. After several more minutes, the video ended and the plane took flight.

"Well, that was boring." Maria giggled.

"Aren't all safety videos boring?" Chris chuckled.

Maria nodded her head in agreement and sat back in her seat. Quickly enough, the temptress of slumber seduced the both of them, and they fell asleep for the rest of the flight.

"_If you look out the window, you will see that we arrived at our destination. We will be descending down to the Winnipeg airport, so please buckle your seatbelts."_

Maria stirred in her sleep, until she fought her eyes to open. She looked out her plane window and saw street lights, street roads, cars driving.

She looked to the left of her and saw Chris peacefully sleeping in his seat. Maria smiled at the sight and decided to wake him up. She gently nudged at him, which caused him to stir.

"Five more minutes." the Canadian muttered.

The brunette rolled her eyes and kissed him on the lips. He began return her gesture, when she pulled away.

"Glad to see you are awake." she smiled as she gestured for him to look out the window.

He did so, and was happy to see his hometown once again.

After several more minutes, they got off of the plane and went to baggage claim to collect their belongings.

"God, you think people would be more careful of which bag they grab off the cart." Maria said, referring to several people who took her luggage by mistake.

Chris merely chuckled at her and smiled. He took one of her heavier baggage and rolled it behind him as he and she began walking to the airport exit. As they stepped outside, they saw a line of taxis and quickly, Chris quickly ran up to one, telling the cab driver where to go.

He returned to where Maria and their luggage was located and grabbed everything to put in the trunk and in the backseat.

Chris and Maria got into the cab, which was now headed to Chris's parent's house.

After a several minutes, they arrived at their destination.

Chris paid the cab driver and got their belongings out of the cab, carefully placing them on the sidewalk.

"Sweetie! You're home!" a woman said as she ran out of the house.

She gave Chris a tight hug, kissing him on the cheek.

"Hey mom, nice to see you too." Chris smiled.

"Cathy, let the boy breathe." a man said from behind her.

"Oh, Ted." Catherine laughed.

"Dad, nice to see you." Chris smiled as he gave his dad a hug.

"Oh, here, let me take those." Ted said, noticing the luggage on the sidewalk.

Chris and his father carried the luggage inside the house, as Maria and Catherine followed behind, carrying the light luggage.

Once inside, the four of them sat down in the living room.

"Mom, dad, I want you to meet my girlfriend, Maria." Chris beamed.

Maria smiled at Chris at the mention of being his girlfriend.

"Nice to meet you, Maria. I'm Catherine, and this is Ted." Catherine smiled.

"Nice to meet you, guys." Maria beamed, smiling at them.

The four of them had multiple conversations, concerning work, personal life, and eventually, the topic of Jessica came up.

"I'm going to talk to her tomorrow." Chris told his parents.

"Alright then." Ted nodded. "We'll leave you two be, the missus and I are going to buy some groceries for dinner tonight." he turned to Maria. "Maria, you make yourself comfortable, our home is your home."

Maria smiled and nodded.

Ted and Catherine stood up and went out the door, driving away to the nearest grocery store.

"Come on. I'll show you my room." Chris smiled.

Maria lit up, and was excited to see the room where the Canadian grew up.

She followed Chris upstairs and into his room.

She lied down next to Chris on his bed and smiled to herself, finally happy.

"I love you." Chris whispered to her.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Hey guys, hope you guys liked it(: Review please(: I'll try and update soon(:


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